Travel luggage is a crowded category—everyone's got suitcases, everyone's got opinions. The homepages that win here aren't overthinking it. They show the product, show you how it fits your life, and move on.
Away: Product-First with Personality
Away leads with a bold hero: tangerine luggage against a clean white background with a model in a red-and-white striped shirt. The vibe is playful but not trying too hard. Navigation is simple navy header. They immediately show four suitcase colors in a product grid below the fold, then organize the page around clear sections: Favorites, lifestyle imagery, brand storytelling ("Unified design, elevated travel"), university partnership sections, and reviews.
What Away does well:
- Stacks lifestyle photography with product shots—showing luggage being used, not just sitting there.
- Uses colorful product imagery (tangerine, emerald, navy, cream) to break up whitespace and make luggage feel desirable.
- Includes specific brand credibility moments like university collections and award callouts without being stuffy about it.
The color palette is bold without being chaotic—lots of white space, hits of saturated luggage colors, black text.
Why it works: Away treats luggage like fashion, not just function. By mixing lifestyle shots with product grids and anchoring it all in that playful hero, they convince you luggage can actually be fun to own.
Rimowa: Minimalist Luxury
Rimowa opens with an overhead still-life of their iconic grooved luggage in natural tones—beiges, taupes, warm oranges. The photo is almost artistic; you're looking at luggage as design objects, not travel gear. Typography is minimal and elegant. Below the hero, they show four luggage styles in a clean grid, then move into category sections with large photographs of product pairings (luggage with accessories, lifestyle styling).
What Rimowa does well:
- Photographs luggage from unexpected angles—overhead, detail shots—that emphasize the design and materiality.
- Uses a restrained color palette (grays, beiges, wood tones) that feels intentional and high-end, not plain.
- Organizes content into clear category cards that hint at lifestyle categories ("Find a match for every kind of journey") without being pushy.
The imagery is matte, sophisticated, and shot in natural light. Nothing feels rushed.
Why it works: Rimowa doesn't need to convince you luggage is functional. They sell you on it being an object worth looking at. The design respects the product and assumes you do too.
July: Maximalist & Story-Driven
July opens with a rich brown hero section showcasing their "Juliette Save" collection. The copy is minimal ("juliette save / CHESTNUT + NAVY") but the visual is dense—product photography on the right side in a cream-colored frame, a large bag on the left. Below that, three product tiles with the same framed photography treatment in different neutral tones. They immediately telegraph product categories with heading copy like "Focus on the parts of travel you love." Further down, a split-screen layout shows a travel carrier bag lifestyle shot paired with a blue sign in what looks like an Asian street—cultural context and globality.
What July does well:
- Uses ornate, detailed frames around product photography to add visual richness and differentiate from competitors.
- Blends lifestyle photography (people with bags, street scenes) into the flow without making it feel like catalog filler.
- Pulls in editorial credibility early—Vogue, Broadsheet, Forbes logos appear prominently, validating the brand through press mentions.
The color story is warm and earthy (browns, navies, creams) with occasional pops of cooler tones. Typography feels intentional and slightly editorial.
Why it works: July treats luggage as part of a life story, not just an object to buy. By framing products literally (in ornate frames) and contextualizing them within travel moments and editorial coverage, they position the brand as culturally relevant, not just functional.
DB Journey: Technical & High-Contrast
DB Journey opens with a dramatic dark hero featuring two people in black outerwear carrying large black backpacks, walking down a neutral-toned corridor. The headline is bold and spare: "Bring more. Carry less." The entire page uses high-contrast black, white, and gray tones. Below the hero, four products in a carousel (mostly black and gray, with one light-colored backpack breaking the pattern). A category section follows with lifestyle photography in a grid—people wearing and testing gear in real conditions, industrial settings.
What DB Journey does well:
- Uses moody, editorial lifestyle photography that feels like documentary rather than commercial—showing how people actually move with the product.
- Applies a strict black-and-white color system that signals technical performance and minimalist aesthetics, making the one light product stand out.
- Includes press credibility callouts and a dedicated feature section showcasing a flagship backpack with technical detail photography.
The design language is utilitarian. Typefaces are sans-serif, layouts are grid-based, white space is treated as intentional.
Why it works: DB Journey targets people who care about gear performance. The dark, technical aesthetic communicates durability and seriousness. By showing real usage scenarios and including press validation, they prove the product works, not just that it looks good.
View full DB Journey screenshots
Bellroy: Mixed Media & Social Proof
Bellroy opens with a grid of mixed product photography and lifestyle imagery—a backpack, a woman in orange jacket, a leather detail, colorful bags. The headline sits over the grid: "Bonafide crowd pleasers." Below, a white section with product thumbnails in a carousel (backpack, wallet, card holder). Multiple lifestyle sections follow, each mixing photography styles: product flat-lays, action shots of people using gear, detail photography of leather and materials. They embed video content and include customer testimonials with avatar circles and callout text in a dedicated section.
What Bellroy does well:
- Uses a varied photography approach—flat-lay, lifestyle, action, detail—that shows different ways people interact with the products.
- Includes customer testimonials and video content early to build trust through social proof, not just brand authority.
- Organizes product categories and seasonal collections in visually distinct sections with clear CTAs and supporting copy.
The color story is warm (oranges, browns, navy) with lots of white space. Imagery is vibrant and energetic without feeling chaotic.
Why it works: Bellroy acknowledges that real people buy luggage and gear—not just aesthetes. By showing mixed content (testimonials, video, lifestyle, product detail) they speak to different decision-makers: some need proof it works (testimonials, video), some need to see how it looks (lifestyle), some need to understand the craft (detail shots).
What They Get Right
Away → Clean product storytelling with personality, balancing lifestyle and grid layouts.
Rimowa → Treating luggage as a design object worthy of artistic photography and restraint.
July → Blending editorial credibility and cultural context into product presentation.
DB Journey → Using technical aesthetic and real-world usage moments to signal performance.
Bellroy → Building trust through mixed media and customer proof, not just brand authority.
The category's winners stop pretending luggage is boring. They show the product clearly, they prove it works (through imagery or testimonials), and they make you want to own it. The difference is whether they sell you the object, the lifestyle, the technical specs, or the community.
