One looks out the window of the plane, only to see their checked bag being thrown around as it gets unloaded from the cargo hold. Next thing they know, they’re waiting at the carousel, only to see the expensive, so-called “durable bag” they just bought all scratched up and a little damaged. At least it wasn’t lost. On the flip side, one decides not to check-in their luggage and crams their stuff into a robust carry-on, as so many do these days. They put it in the overhead, only to watch someone else brutishly push it aside and ding it in the process.
Crash Baggage makes it so much simpler. Taking the cultural expectation out of pristine design and preempting inevitable wear and tear, the Italian brand’s suitcase products are already dented. It’s a novel proposition that makes one think: wouldn’t it be better if my smart phone’s screen was already cracked when I bought it? It can still get the job done.
The irrealistic pressure no one has time for, to keep things as they were when freshly released from the assembly, is lifted with this new paradigm of product. If it gets dented again, what difference will it make? It’s nature and human nature: material objects will always degrade with use over time unless kept in an inert state behind a vitrine and even then, preservation isn’t ensured.
Espousing similar values of no-nonsense irreverence and yet, an appreciation of stylistic flair and luxury, Crash Baggage and The Standard just debuted their first collaboration – The Standard x Crash Baggage Icon Carry-On. The Standard Red Icon is cast in the boutique hotels chain’s proprietary hue and contoured in dramatic bends and bulges, only made more conspicuous by its glossy finish. That isn’t to say, it isn’t sturdy. Produced in 100% polycarbonate, the suitcase comes with top-quality wheels, a TSA-approved padlock-secured zipper, and retractable handle that won’t fall apart after just one use.
“Travel has always been central to The Standard’s DNA – not just the act of getting somewhere, but the spirit of exploration and expression that comes with it,” says Amar Lalvani, Executive Chairman of Standard International. “Partnering with Crash Baggage felt natural; together, we’ve created something bold, imperfect, and unmistakably The Standard.”
To launch the special edition and celebrate their shared ethos, the brands commissioned a fully immersive visual campaign captured at The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon and The Standard High Line, two of its marquee properties. A fixture of Le Bain – the legendary nightclub atop the latter – Connie Fleming, aka “Connie Girl,” created a series of stickers that come with the suitcase drawing from the hotel’s archive of distinctive iconography: logos and other visuals.
The Standard x Crash Baggage Icon Carry-On is available in limited edition for $350 via shopthestandard.com.
Photography by James Athibodee and Guillaume Roemaet, courtesy of The Standard.