TUMI has embarked on a big push into the
women’s lifestyle category with an updated collection that seeks to boost its
appeal to female travellers. The US travel accessories brand, which is
known for its signature functional and durable Alpha collection of ballistic
nylon bags, this year launched the new Alpha 2 range in a wide range of colours
and designs as it seeks to woo female buyers.
“Women are an important part of
the customer mix, which is currently 60% men and 40% women, with many women
already buying for men,” said Geoffrey Gysin, Senior Vice President Europe, Middle
East and Africa.
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| TUMI tote by shoe designer George Esquivel |
The new range joins the Voyageur collection
of streamlined and sophisticated bags featuring feminine styling in lightweight
designs, which was introduced in 2011.
“Our core DNA is functionality and
durability – that’s our heritage – but now we are reinventing the business
model with aesthetically pleasing designs,” he said, noting that the company
has started working with artists and fashion designers. In April 2014, the
company unveiled a new collection with Jonathan Adler, incorporating modern,
humorous designs.
“Our collaboration with Jonathan Adler was just
the beginning. The idea of working with designers to enhance our portfolio is a
given. They can interpret the product from a less blinkered angle and they are
very consumer focused.”
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| TUMI tote by US fashion brand Public School |
TUMI has also been the lead underwriter for
the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue Fashion Fund’s Americans in Paris initiative for the
past two seasons. In March 2014 ten of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Designers
created limited-edition designs for TUMI’s ballistic tote bag.
Drawing from their love of travel and the city
of Paris, each tote offered a glimpse into what inspires the designers, who
included Public School, Tim Coppens, Ohne Titel, Nonoo and George Esquivel.
Available from September 2014, the totes were sold exclusively at the TUMI stores
in Paris’s St Honoré and New York’s SoHo as well as www.tumi.com. “The totes just flew
off the shelves,” said Gysin.
