The Salone de Mobile furniture fair held every year in Milan is one of the most awaited events in the world of furnishing and design. This year’s event, which concluded last month, introduced a few interesting collaborations – one of the prominent being award-winning Tel Aviv born designer Dror Benshetrit‘s new eight-piece range for Tumi luggage called ‘Dror for Tumi.’
For New Jersey based Tumi, this was the first such collaboration in over 35 years of existence. Dror was an obvious choice: the designer’s research based approach to design and pursuit of excellence is widely admired. Benshetrit, an Israeli, now based in New York where he has his own studio, spent a good 18 months researching and creating prototypes for the range to create this progressive and savvy range of luggage bags. As Tumi CEO Jerome Griffith put it, “In our desire to continuously innovate, we seek a partner with a shared design philosophy who also brings a fresh perspective. Dror’s exceptional reputation for innovative, research-based designs that transform and adapt to users’ needs along with his impassioned vision made him a perfect fit to craft the next generation of Tumi bags.”
For the collection, upon Dror’s urging, Tumi re-examined and enhanced the brands signature ballistic textile for the first time since it revolutionised the luggage industry in the 1980s. Dror also pushed the Tumi aesthetic into the future with the development of an iconic faceted panel that imparts a continuous architectural language across the entire collection, imbuing it with a unique visual identity. Applied on the hard cases, which are made from Tumi’s signature highly durable lightweight triple-layer ABS/polycarbonate, the bags are available in a brown/black colour theme – another first for Tumi.
All eight bags in ‘Dror for Tumi’ transform in some way-expanding or literally changing shape to accommodate different functions or modes of use. The International Carry-On, is the first-ever expandable zipper-less hardside, the two-wheeled case allows for four different size options through a two-stage expansion via a ‘living hinge’ that allows it to adjust the bag’s depth and double its overall capacity. Then there is the versatile backpack that easily shifts to a tote or brief, a briefcase that offers two bags in one-a workaday medium capacity bag slims down to a sleek, elegant case suitable for a slim laptop. Even the travel kit has been re-imagined for various packing and usage styles. When opened it can be packed flat or hung from a fixture; when closed it takes on a more traditional shape that fits snugly in packing cases and sits easily on vanities. The collection priced between Rs 25,000 – Rs 60,000, is available at all Tumi stores across India. For Delhi customers, the company is willing to deliver the bags at your doorstep.
Tumi, Palladium Annexe, Mumbai. Tel: 022-66152295/6
Tumi, UB City, Bangalore. Tel: 080-41738948/9
Luxxe Box, Express Avenue, Chennai. Tel: 044-28464544/88
Luxxe Box, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Tel: 022-30601014/15