words Johanna Agerman

To celebrate its 110th anniversary, luggage manufacturer Globetrotter has commissioned Ross Lovegrove to inject the brand with a 21st-century aesthetic. The result is a softly curved, plain black suitcase that is claimed to be the world’s lightest, weighing only 1.4kg.

“It was both Ross’s organic style and philosophy that we were interested in,” says Gary Bott, brand manager of Globetrotter. “He is concerned with the planet and this idea of changing trends for the future that we are focusing on more and more.”

Lightness has always been Globetrotter’s trademark and Lovegrove’s challenge was to design the lightest case in the world. For this the new 3X Fibre was developed – a weave made from carbon fibre and Kevlar. “There is a world-wide shortage of carbon fibre at the moment because Boeing has bought up all there is for its carbon fibre plane, which makes this case even more exclusive,” says Bott.

Only 1000 cases will be produced this year and so far they are only available in cabin luggage size (53x38x20cm). The first case in the series just launched in Japan and will arrive in Selfridges in London and Moss in New York in September.

“Ross is still waiting for his,” reveals Bott. “It will arrive with the rest around the 15 September.”