While boarding an ocean liner with a stack of steamer trunks once reflected the rarity and opulence of travel, 2025’s luggage flex captures a contemporary desire for efficiency and ensuring everything has its place. Today’s speciality travel cases still nod to the nostalgic extravagance of getting away but they serve some vacationers’ practical needs as well.
A vanity chest with customizable interiors winks at the current preoccupation with layered glam and skincare routines. Rimowa’s sleek Mahjong Attaché is the height of specificity, but if you’ve got room in your luggage allowance, why not?
Cutler and Gross’s eyewear case created in collaboration with Globe-Trotter speaks to this organizational desire without skimping on style. Handmade in England, the case’s leather corners take several days to shape on a Victorian press machine before being applied to the boxy item, which also has a prominent polished metal lock and key.
Golta Mohammadi, the Canadian director at the U.K.-based eyewear brand, notes that it addresses a packing challenge that someone who uses a variety of frames throughout their day faces. “If you wear glasses, you might have prescription sunglasses too,” she says. “And what if you want to do a run while you’re away? I myself have reading glasses and glasses for working.”
There’s no question that a decadent sense of retro glamour is part of the draw, though. “The design is where the two brands felt aligned,” Mohammadi says, adding that elements of the case can be serviced as needed. That means a treasured travel case can become a future heirloom. “You can have it repaired, you can pass it down, and it looks beautiful as it’s used,” she says. Given the aesthetic allure of vintage luggage pieces from era’s past, perhaps that means this new cohort isn’t that different after all.
Mahjong attaché, $5,900 at Rimowa.Brandon Titaro/The Globe and Mail
Rimowa’s stylish briefcase, fabricated from anodized grooved aluminum for an ultra-sleek look, includes a set of hand-painted mahjong tiles. It also features a double-tray compartment design, and an ergonomic handle for ease of use. Mahjong attaché, $5,900 at Rimowa (rimowa.com).
FPM Bank S vanity case, $1,350 at Holt Renfrew.Brandon Titaro/The Globe and Mail
It’s fitting that this cosmetics option by FPM comes with gleaming corners that allow a glimpse of oneself. More important are its practical elements including a non-slip rubber handle and interior adjustable straps and removable cases for customization. FPM Bank S vanity case, $1,350 at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com).
Three watch case, $1,560 at Louis Vuitton.Brandon Titaro/The Globe and Mail
Crafted in Louis Vuitton’s moody Eclipse Monogram canvas, the brand’s watch roll comes with a removable microfibre cushion and microfibre lining to ensure optimal transportation of tony timekeepers. Three watch case, $1,560 at Louis Vuitton (louisvuitton.com).
Cutler and Gross X Globe-Trotter Collectors case, $2,295 at Cutler and Gross (cutlerandgross.com).Brandon Titaro/The Globe and Mail
Available in four colours including orange, oxblood, black and a hue dubbed “Kensington Green,” the limited edition, handmade Cutler and Gross case can store up to four pairs of eyewear. Cutler and Gross X Globe-Trotter Collectors case, $2,295 at Cutler and Gross (cutlerandgross.com).
Leather case for AirPods Pro 2, $1,225 at Hermès (hermes.com).Brandon Titaro/The Globe and Mail
With a kicky calfskin exterior and interior designed to specifically suit AirPods Pro 2 (although it can house all generations of the minuscule earbuds), Hermès offers consumers the most refined way to avoid losing your headphones in transit. Leather case for AirPods Pro 2, $1,225 at Hermès (hermes.com).
Styling by Odessa Paloma Parker. Sets and prop styling by Chad Burton at Cadre Artists. Photo assistant: Jenna MacDermaid. Styling assistant: Leah Gust.
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