Colourful luggage to brighten up your summer

Summer is yet to hit its stride – in the United Kingdom, at least – with drab and grey days often dampening the season’s restorative powers. The answer, of course, lies in escaping to warmer climes, though a recent uptick in colourful cases – from Rimowa’s new emerald-green hue to Floyd’s nostalgic, 1970s-tinged palette – promises a shot of brightness before you’ve even taken off.

Here, even for the most colour-averse, we make a case for eschewing the classic steely grey, black and navy for vibrantly hued – but nonetheless sleekly designed – luggage that will stand out on the airport belt and add colour to your summertime escapes.

Floyd’s nostalgic-hued travel cases

Floyd was established in 2019 with the slogan ’giving modern travel its mojo back’, its designs – which span cabin-bag, check-in and trunk sizes, alongside soft weekend bags and wash kits – inspired by 1970s Californian surf culture (the blocky logo reflects the branding of the era). As such, expect an array of offbeat, nostalgic hues, from ‘Bronco Brown’, ‘Hot Orange’ and ‘Vegas Hues’, alongside ‘Miami’ and ‘Pacific’ blues. For an extra flash of colour, Floyd suitcases’ wheels can be removed and customised with the brand’s array of vivid shades, among them neon pink, green and orange, alongside gilded gold and glow-in-the-dark.

Available from Mytheresa and Floyd’s website.

An emerald-green Rimowa classic

Rimowa has long set the standard for luggage, its tough, ridged aluminium-clad cases a perennial design object adopted by musicians, sportspeople and artists, as well as being riffed upon in collaborations with brands from Dior to Supreme (as captured in a recent exhibition, which celebrated 125 years of Rimowa). Best-known for its classic aluminium shell in silver or black, the German brand has lately been adding a slew of new colours to its roster, from soft, gelato shades of papaya and pink, to its latest addition, emerald green. The style is available in cabin, check-in, trunk-plus and cross-body sizes, to match or mix.

Available from Rimowa’s website.

A make-your-own custom Globe-Trotter

Globe-Trotter suitcases – recognisable for their classic, trunk-like designs with signature protective leather corners – are each constructed in the United Kingdom in a process which takes 98 steps and over ten days (the brand, which has been in operation since 1897, promises luggage which is made to last for life). While Globe-Trotter offers an array of hues across its collections – including a pop colour range of neon pink, green and pastel blue (pictured above) – plump for the one-of-a-kind by constructing your own, using its online custom generator. Select every element, from the case colour to hardware straps, trolley leather and webbing straps, in colours from cassis red, lavender and pistachio, to classic camel, grey and forest green.

Available from Globetrotter’s website.

A sorbet-hued Away case for everyday 

’Designed by travellers, for travellers’ – so goes the maxim for 2015-founded luggage label Away, where aesthetically satisfying outer shells meet a roomy interior (all the more so if you also purchase Away’s cult packing cubes). Winner of numerous awards, Away is our pick for everyday reliability, though a vivid colour palette – a hallmark of the brand since its beginnings – retains a sense of play. An array of colours is available, including the two-tone ‘Spritz’ – a collaboration with clothing label La Ligne – and soft, pastel-hued pink, sorbet orange and sea green.

Available from Away’s website.

A subtle shade of Montblanc blue

For those not yet ready for a full embrace of colour, but ready to graduate from ubiquitous black and grey, Montblanc’s #My4810 suitcase in ‘Avio blue’ makes for a subtle stepping stone. A new colourway for A/W24, ‘Avio’ refers to the colour of uniforms worn by aviators, its grey-accented shade of blue described poetically by the German brand as the ’melting of the horizon into the sea’. With the suitcase itself, expect sleek and compact functionality which reflects the exacting design of Montblanc’s famed Meisterstück pen (which turns 100 this year), while a slice of leather along the front of the suitcase adds tactility. It is available in an array of sizes, from the cabin compact trolley to the newly added trunk, for those who have difficulty packing light (pictured above).

Available from Montblanc’s website.

Louis Vuitton’s luminous Horizon 55 carry-on

There is no chance of misplacing your luggage with the luminously toned Horizon 55 from Louis Vuitton, an energetic new iteration of the historic Parisian luggage-maker’s signature carry-on suitcase (its larger counterpart, the Horizon 70, came from a collaboration with industrial designer Marc Newson). Defined by Louis Vuitton as encapsulating a spirit of ‘infinite freedom’, it has been reimagined in a veritable candy shop of iterations, including those adorned with trompe l’oeil travel stickers, illustrations of leopards and ducks, or appearing like ‘denim’. Match it with the Horizon 70 – both of which are available for customisation – for the ultimate travel set.

Available at Louis Vuitton’s website.