{"id":135,"date":"2021-03-20T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T01:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/?post_type=webzine&p=135"},"modified":"2023-09-04T11:26:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T02:26:21","slug":"traveling-brand-thats-still-loved-a-hundred-years-ed7a5556e4d5","status":"publish","type":"webzine","link":"https:\/\/workmill.jp\/en\/webzine\/traveling-brand-thats-still-loved-a-hundred-years-ed7a5556e4d5\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI want to make a traveling brand that\u2019s still loved a hundred years from now.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The original article \u201c<\/em>AWAY<\/em><\/a>\u201d is a part of the <\/em>WORK MILL<\/em><\/a> with <\/em>Forbes JAPAN<\/em><\/a> Issue 4 -loved company\u00a9<\/em>WORK MILL<\/em><\/a>, published on April 11, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a startup brand that in only three years has sold a million suitcases throughout forty countries, opened over ten retail stores, become profitable by 2017 according to Forbes magazine, and whose sales soared up to 150 million dollars in 2018. It\u2019s Away, a suitcase brand founded by two women. Away<\/a> offers suitcases and other traveling equipment both online and in-store, hosts events, and even publishes a travel magazine. Their concept is to design traveling as a whole to introduce the wonders of travel to consumers. It was almost destined that co-founders Stephanie Korey and Jennifer Rubio should meet. Steph worked as a buyer for a major US department store and then a marketer for Kate Spade in New York. Afterward, Steph joined the then newly founded eyewear brand, Warby Parker. And as fate would have it, who else should join the company on the very same day but Jen, who is now Away<\/a>\u2019s Chief Brand Officer. The two hit it off immediately, but Steph decided to leave the company two and a half years later to enroll in Columbia Business School. After graduating, she worked on product strategies for Casper, a D2C mattress company. During that time, Steph and Jen walked completely different paths of life. But as Steph put it, \u201cJust as I had learned everything I needed to know about retailing,<\/strong>\u201d she got a phone call from Jen. Jen was on vacation in Swiss when her suitcase broke mid-travels. She had called Steph to vent about how cheap suitcases break easily, while quality ones were so expensive. And what was the deal with that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJen was telling me about how there should be other options. I felt so too, and realized that there must be a market for it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As they researched the market, they noticed how the middle margin was raising the prices. So they focused on implementing a D2C business model in order to provide quality products with reasonable price tags. What they were most careful about was not let it become a one-way interaction. By communicating closely with their customers and receiving detailed feedback, they are able to quickly grasp what their users love and where improvement is desired. They\u2019re also cultivating a travelers\u2019 community, to become a travel brand that will still be loved 100 years down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n

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