MILAN — Modern travelers have become accustomed to luggage inspection, but their attention may now be diverted as they wait their turn in line at airport security checks — taking a peek at Diesel and Samsonite’s new semitransparent suitcases.
The Italian company has signed a yearlong licensing agreement with luggage manufacturer and retailer Samsonite to develop a line of co-branded baggage and travel-oriented items, making their debuts Monday.
The lineup of semitransparent luggage and backpacks combines a black base gradually fading into transparency and featuring an acid yellow mesh lining allowing for extra privacy. In keeping with Diesel’s irreverent take on communications, the co-branded collection is flanked by an advertising campaign playing on the juxtaposition of private and public.
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“The idea behind this collaboration and its campaign is fueled by our current era: we live in a time where the balance of what we share versus what we keep private is constantly in flux. Inevitably, all of us live part of our lives in public — be that through social media, our work, our social groups,” commented Andrea Rosso, creative director of Diesel licenses and the son of Diesel and OTB founder Renzo Rosso.
“Yet with the rise of the digital age, awareness of privacy — data, photos, material possessions and so much more has also increased. The design of these bags reflects the balance we all must calibrate; it allows for the world to see some of what we are, but not all of who we are,” Rosso added.
Signaling the growing importance of tech-equipped luggage for young and modern commuters — a trend that baggage makers have increasingly embraced — the Samsonite x Diesel cabin-size luggage features USB ports and inside pockets to store powerbanks, allowing travelers to give a power boost to their electronic devices.
“From the very first meeting, one could almost feel the dynamics and eagerness from both parties to reset the bar on luggage for the project. From a Samsonite point of view, it was truly exciting to get challenged on what we consider our everyday business,” noted Sofie Deboes, product marketing director at Samsonite Travel Europe.
Bearing a co-branded label, the collection reinterprets three signature Samsonite lines, including the Neopulse hardside lineup, available in four sizes; the softside Paradiver range consisting of a laptop backpack, a cabin-size backpack with wheels crafted from a water and stain repellent fabric and two different check-in, wheeled duffle bags. Luggage from both lineups is sold with a drawstring backpack that can be stowed inside through magnetic buttons.
The third line, called Openroad, includes a regular business backpack and a weekend size, both aimed at shorter trips and business and leisure traveling opportunities.
In the ad campaign, styles from each line are shot against a textured wall split in two halves, black and acid green as in the collection’s colors, accompanied by the “choose what’s public” and “choose what’s private” phrases.
A video campaign shot in São Paulo also plays on the duality between the public and private personas, showing a motorcyclist outfitted in leather at night also being a spinning class enthusiast by day; a drag queen performing on stage who’s at the same time a regular guy living in an untidy apartment; a night owl who sports a skull-printed T-shirt at the club is seen going to bed with a girly pajama bearing a teddy bear drawing.
Priced between 129 euros and 369 euros, the collection is available at both brands’ online stores, as well as at select Diesel and Samsonite flagships, in addition to international department stores, including Paris’ Galerie Lafayette and KeDeWe in Berlin.