Sanz also delves into TUMI's latest Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, his thoughts on smart luggage and more.

The travel industry is experiencing a remarkable resurgence as the world opens up post-pandemic, but it&rsquo;s business as usual for Tumi, as the brand has stayed true to its core since day one, catering to the diverse needs and wants of its customers. In conjunction with the launch of TUMI&rsquo;s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, we spoke to the brand&rsquo;s creative director Victor Sanz as he unpacks the current travelling trends, his packing style and some of the challenges he faced in his 15-year career.&nbsp;
Describe Tumi in three words.&nbsp;
Essentially beautiful and focused.&nbsp;
Tell us more about Tumi&rsquo;s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection. This season is about celebrating the concept of &ldquo;hypercraft&rdquo; which we define as extraordinary attention to care, skill, and ingenuity in every detail of our designs. Some of our main highlights include the 19 Degree family that doesn&rsquo;t only come in new colours but in new materials as well. Our signature 19 Degree Aluminum collection now comes in a dark denim colourway and features PET linings. The 19 Degree Polycarbonate collection is made from post-industrial recycled materials and features new hues and textures. We have also added the Briefcase and Extended Trip Packing Case to our 19 Degree Titanium collection, which offers all the features of the International Carry-On in a larger size. As people are travelling again for both leisure and business, we have provided more style options to cater to different needs and durations of travel.
Another noteworthy line of this season is Alpha X. We're introducing a new material &mdash; PX6 for Alpha X &mdash; which is improving the durability of what is already the strongest in the industry. The collection is about celebrating what we consider our heritage of innovation and pushing that forward to the next level.

What are some of the most significant shifts in travel accessories design after the pandemic?
What we are seeing now is that travellers need flexibility in their travel accessories to be able to adapt to different travel scenarios. In recent years, we&rsquo;ve seen more people travelling specifically to engage in their passions, such as golf, snowboarding, surfing, diving and more, which is why we have been including collections for gaming, yoga, and golf.

An ongoing trend that we&rsquo;ve observed is that people are demanding lightweight, durable, and timeless travel pieces, and they see travel as an extension of their persona and lifestyle &mdash; not just a means to get to the destination. This is why we developed TUMI+ to assist with convenience and efficiency so that when our customers need a bit more functionality during their travels, they can simply add an accessory and vice versa.&nbsp;

Travellers are also becoming more sustainability-conscious. TUMI&rsquo;s products are high-quality, built to last and many are developed using a range of recycled materials and fabrics. We also help customers to repair our products through our global repair network.&nbsp;

What are your thoughts on smart luggage? We can see that people are looking for more functions in their luggage rather than merely storage. Therefore, for some of our luggage and bag items, we have built-in USB ports for people to plug in and get their electronic devices charged on the road. At TUMI, where our products are designed to last for many, many years, we will constantly examine the technology in our products to ensure that they do not become obsolete and end up in landfill because the technology has become outdated.
 If you could only travel with one TUMI bag, which one would it be? That's a tough one. I think one of the bags that I've been using quite a bit this summer is our Alpha Carryall Tote &mdash; imagine having the simplicity of a beach tote but having all the added functionality. The tote allows me the flexibility to be poolside, in transit to Hong Kong, or running off to my next meeting. I just travelled to California, and it allowed me to carry all my shoes in the bottom half but then on the inside, it was my laptop, my clothes and everything that I needed to bring with me. It never stops impressing me.
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What kind of packer are you? I am a very organised person and these days I start off with my wellness kit &mdash; I make sure I have that packed because health is very important when you travel a lot.&nbsp; This includes everything from sunscreen to moisturiser and health essentials to stay as healthy as possible. I then focus on breaking down the packing into two categories. One is the backpack and the other, is the wheeled carry-on. My backpack is the cannot-lose or cannot-live-without items. Typically, within there, I will have all my travel credentials, extra outfit, wellness kit, sketchbook and sunglasses just in case something happens. Your wheel away becomes everything else you will need to enjoy your trip.
You&rsquo;ve been with TUMI for almost 15 years now. What are some of the biggest challenges you&rsquo;ve faced in your career?
Some of the biggest challenges have been waiting for technology or material to evolve enough to be able to fulfil a design dream.&nbsp; When we have a design that is stretching the boundaries of the industry, we must set out to change the industry to achieve the goal. This is where one finds themselves operating at levels that one may not have known that they could be at.
What do you think the future of travel will be like?
After the pandemic, people have become accustomed to working from anywhere and blending work with their leisure travel. I feel that people will travel more and for a longer period of time. No matter what field of work they are in, they are looking to be inspired and re-engaged. So multifunctional, expandable and lightweight luggage will be an area that we will focus on and that I think will be important for travel.&nbsp;

Interview: Tumi's creative director Victor Sanz on the evolution of the brand

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