Michael Martin
Tumi is in the midst of a makeover.
Tumi, of course, is the ever-reliable Nylon travel bag that looks not unlike the wheeled carry-on that flight attendant is pulling, the hanging wardrobe that first-year accountant is flying with or that simple all-black suitcase the woman in front of you has been checking in for over 30 years. With over 50 retail stores around the world, Tumi is one of the leading brands in the luggage industry known for its muted all-black style and zipper-to-zipper lifetime warranty. While you wouldn't see it loaded onto your last NetJets flight with the hard-sided Louis Vuitton or flashier Gucci totes, it usually lasts a whole lot longer, wearing well as it was regurgitated onto baggage carousels from Bombay to Berlin. While not super-stylish, it was super-practical.
Enter David Chu, the executive creative director of Tumi, who has embarked on an ambitious brand expansion and revamp that looks to change everything we think and do with our Tumi.
If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because he founded Nautica in the '80s, created a brand with annual revenue in excess of $1 billion and then sold its trademark rights for an estimated $104 million to VF Corp.(VFC Quote - Cramer on VFC - Stock Picks)
After leaving Nautica in 2004, where the designer says he "developed a sense of discipline and consistency," Chu transitioned to his own private-label menswear before accepting his current role at Tumi in 2006.
His position includes an undisclosed equity stake in privately held Tumi, with expansive duties that extend into design, advertising, public relations and retail concepts.
The results of Chu's design work can be seen in the current retail lineup at Tumi stores across the country.
"A new retail concept has been introduced," says Chu. "The new interior was inspired from the sensibility of the new luxury collection, which combines the old world quality with a modern sensibility."
"The new interiors for the Tumi stores are created to express the style of art deco infused with a certain modernity. The French polished ebony fixtures and nickel details mix easily with the limestone surfaces and red Murano glass chandeliers. I wanted our customers to see and feel that they are going to have a luxurious travel and lifestyle experience."
If you liked the old Tumi, though, never fear. The "quality, utilitarian bags" that Chu says he found upon arrival at Tumi still have a presence in the collection (albeit toward the back of the stores we visited).
Chu's vision for the new line is inspired by the heavy glamour periods of travel and aviation in the early 20th century.
"There are amazing posters of travel by rail and ship in the '30s. The experience is streamlined, sleek and sophisticated and filled with art deco references. I'm inspired by the early days of air travel. There was such a chic to the people who traveled."
In the window cases of the retail stores is Chu's new Townhouse Collection, where he aims "to create a more premium lifestyle collection," which is a series of contemporary suitcases, duffels and carryons crafted from Tumi's nylon, but with shiny Vachetta-leather trim and silvery chrome accents meticulously tailored atop two metallic wheels.
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