Hasta La Ideas

Style editors and a luggage giant unite in this utilitarian collaboration

When our friends at Selectism got the chance to design a new bag with Tumi, they created a bag suited for their constantly-on-the-move lifestyle. “We travel a lot for our jobs and most of the time it’s short trips,” explain Selectism editors David Fischer and Jeff Carvalho. “Events here, exhibitions there, meetings somewhere else. Packing for those short two day trips is always the trickiest part, because you do not want to check in anything, yet want to be flexible on arrival.” Noting that most bags are designed with a single function in mind, they came up with a design that was sensitive to varied needs.

The all-in-one bag design looks a lot like Tumi’s Alpha Sport Duffel and serves a similar function when flying. It gives the traveler a compact bag for short business trips that has room for a change of clothes and a section with an organizer for a laptop and accessories. Where the Selectism collaboration differs is in the detachable front and side pockets which can be converted into separate bags. While the main clothing compartment stays in the hotel, you can take a slim business brief and a tote along with you to carry the day’s necessities. The two spacious totes allow you to carry back more items than you brought, an added bonus for shoppers and convention-goers alike.

Functionality is everything when you’re on the road. Unobtrusive and compact, the bag does exactly what a good bag should: It puts the needs of the user first. Fischer added “Rather than getting inspired by other bags, we looked closely at what the bag needs to be able to do, what it needs to carry, how it should function. We analyzed our personal travel needs, which we believe are the same for many others out there, with only very few bags matching those needs.”

When asked about how he approached working with Tumi, Carvalho replied, “We tried to stay true to the brand, while offering something new to the Tumi client. Something a little younger, more refreshing, while being classic and timeless. We really wanted to make sure that a long time Tumi client can get excited, just as much as somebody who might be new to the brand.” Selectism’s sharp details include red leather accents, a chestnut-and-black striped interior, subtle Selectism logo badges and gunmetal zipper tags. The navy body and brown leather handle with bronze straps are subtle sartorial twists on the Tumi tradition.

Starting today the Tumi + Selectism travel bag is available exclusively at Park and Bond for $495.