Luxury travelling no longer means carrying around bags and suitcases emblazoned with designer logos. Premium tech lifestyle brand Moshi has created a more subtle range of top-quality luggage for the traveller who doesn't have to try too hard. Here, their design team tells us how to choose the best bags to keep you looking chic and feeling comfortable.
What to look for when choosing luggage
We all have a lot more stuff to organise than before, so go for a bag with plenty of storage space and pockets. Our Vacanza, for example, has a main compartment to hold your clothes, shoes and accessories, as well as a padded pocket that will hold up to a 15ins laptop and a crush-resistant front panel will protect your sunglasses and other delicate items. Added to that, it comes with a reusable wet/dry bag so you can carry damp swimwear, workout clothes or shoes without damaging your other belongings.
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Functionality also plays a key role when choosing a bag for your holidays. For example, luggage should protect your computer, tablet or mobile. What technology you use will influence how big or small your bag needs to be – it all depends on the size of the device that you're aiming to carry.
Make sure you choose a bag that is lightweight yet durable, with the right padding and compartments for your device, chargers and cables. You'll need an easily accessible front panel, padded to keep your sunglasses, smartphone and other delicate items protected yet reachable when needed. There should also be space for you to store headphones and a spare smartphone battery. In addition, look for RFID protection to make sure no one can scan your luggage and find out any sensitive information from the chip on your credit card or passport.
Think about where you're going to use your bag – a backpack will be handy if you're after a casual look. If you're after something smarter, a modern satchel will be better if you're jetting away for business. You should also make sure the handles are comfortable to hold and that any strap is padded to protect your shoulder. Check it's easy to detach, too.
How luggage bags are designed
When we're planning a bag, the most important part of the design brief is making sure it matches our brand aesthetic: functional, modern and stylishly minimalistic. While we want our luggage to meet all of a traveller's needs, how it looks is our top priority.
Our designers sketch or use Cad (computer-aided design software) to first come up with the conceptual design, then we need to find the right material to support the form factor. We source our materials by visiting the latest textile shows to see what new pieces are being introduced - selecting the right material is arguably the hardest part of the design process. Sometimes we'll fall in love with a new texture or finish, but when it comes to making a sample it just doesn't work so it's back to the drawing board.
We'll often test out several types of materials on one bag style before we find something that works. If you're a customer and you're choosing a travel bag, make sure the material is weather-resistant and durable, so it lasts for several years and can withstand the strains of airport travel.
The amount of alterations that a bag goes through from prototype to finished product changes each time. Sometimes the first prototype is spot on and we can move into production with hardly any changes; other times we need to add or subtract pockets, change a lining, or widen/shorten a strap.
Most importantly, we know our customers want to look good – after all, you never know when an Instagram moment might come up, especially on holiday.
To see Moshi’s range of travel bags, visit Moshi.com
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