NEW YORK, July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Away, the original travel lifestyle brand, is poised to once again disrupt the luggage industry with the introduction of Softside. This exciting development comes as part of a year marked by accelerated product innovation and strategic retail expansion, including the brand’s first foray into wholesale and timely collaborations with influential brands and designers alike.

Nearly a decade since its founding, boasting millions of satisfied customers and billions of miles traveled, Away’s iconic hardside suitcases have become a cultural mainstay, amassing cult status over the years and showcasing the power of high-quality, functional, and stylish products that make every travel experience more seamless.

Recognizing that over 50% of luggage sales in the U.S. are softside luggage with more than 90M U.S travelers using softside luggage exclusively, Away saw an exciting opportunity to breathe new life into a stale category that remains relatively untouched by innovation despite the surge of competitors and imitators in the hardside luggage market. With the same disruptor energy that transformed the hardside luggage industry, Away will now cater to a new customer base who have long awaited a fresh take on soft luggage.

“Travel is deeply personal, and preference in luggage is no exception,” said Jen Rubio, co-founder and CEO of Away. “With our launch in 2016, we revolutionized the hardside market and proved that you don’t have to sacrifice style for function. After years of design iterations, rigorous testing, and thousands of interactions with softside customers to understand their travel habits and style preferences, we are uniquely positioned to redefine this historically uninspired category. Finally, softside travelers will have an elevated and affordable option they can feel proud to travel with.”

Softside embodies everything customers already know and love about Away: a modern, stylish aesthetic with innovative design features like the brand’s signature compression system which includes a custom pad that makes every trip more seamless. It’s crafted in a lightweight, high-strength nylon material that offers extra give while packing and is both abrasion-resistant and water-repellant for extra durability. With this new line, Away introduces new features that matter for the softside traveler, including a top flap opening that boasts even more interior organization and opens to a spacious main compartment, two no-show exterior front pockets for accessible organization, a matching TSA-accepted padlock, and a proprietary stabilizer to keep the bag upright when full.

Launching in four classic colors (Jet Black, Cloud Gray, Coast Blue, and Clay Pink) across Away’s four original sizes (The Carry-On, The Bigger Carry-On, The Medium, and The Large), the line transcends mere utility, and merges smart functionality with the style and intentional design synonymous with the Away brand.

True to form, Away’s Softside offers a high-quality, functional, and stylish solution at an unprecedented value allowing any Softside traveler to get away. Priced competitively between $225 to $325, all sizes and colors will be available for purchase exclusively at awaytravel.com or in-store at any of the brand’s 17 retail locations in the U.S., U.K., and Canada beginning July 9th.

To mark the launch of this disruptive new product, Away celebrates varying travel preferences and styles through a new Softside campaign that brings together an incredible, and unexpected group of actors, writers, chefs, athletes and more. This memorable group embodies both the Away brand and the idea that anyone can be a softside person. Campaign stars include: Megan Stalter, Ben Marshall, Alan Ruck, Jerry Saltz, Tyshawn Jones, Aminatou Sow, Cleo Wade, Jenny Walton, Tyler Joe, Dan Pelosi, and Gus Heagerty.

With this next chapter, Away reaffirms their commitment to meet the changing needs of real travelers and to revolutionize the travel industry one suitcase at a time.

About Away

Away is the original travel lifestyle brand, defining travel for a new generation. Rooted in the core belief that the more everyone travels, the better we all become, the company’s mission is to create everything you need to travel well. Away launched in 2016 with one perfectly designed Carry-On and has since revolutionized the industry by creating a range of luggage and travel essentials backed by the promise of exceptional quality and customer satisfaction. Away is headquartered in New York City, with teams in London and Toronto, and a global presence that is apparent in every airport. Boasting industry accolades like Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Companies” and TIME’s “Best Inventions,” Away is the go-to authority for travelers today. For more information, visit www.awaytravel.com.

Media Contact
Away
Yasmin Shahida
Director of Communications
[email protected]

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SOURCE Away