CLEVER AUSSIES
Athan Didaskalou on creating luggage start-up, July
Yourself and your business partner Richard had very different focuses when you met – coffee and furniture – so how did a luggage start-up come up in conversation?
Richard and I come from two different directions on how to grow a business. This is ultimately how we connected. Collectively, we wanted to take on the world, knowing that there was a big opportunity in the luggage space to create beautiful, functional products. The lust of travel was lost on the accessories space – nothing inspired you, it was just there (and expensive at that). We wanted to create a brand that represented our drive to want to change things in a category we both love. I mean, who doesn’t love travel? We think we’re the luckiest people in the world.
How did that conversation result in July?
Once you scratch the surface of luggage and travel accessories you quickly realise how broken the category is. It’s all made cheap, and distributed wide through wholesale, forcing high retail purchases when you’re desperate or on sale at 50 per cent off (but they’re still making heaps). If we sold direct to consumers (no wholesale) we could make better-quality luggage that would usually cost $1000, retail it for $295, and have full control over the customer experience and how the brand helps them.
What are the three cornerstones of the July range?
Customer-driven. Considered design. Creating, always.
Why July? This is my favourite question. July is the time a lot of Aussies go on holiday. July is summer in the northern hemisphere, and it is also [traditionally] the time a lot of Australians escape the winter to a beautiful summer holiday somewhere. If I’m not trying to get to a Greek island in July, I know half my Instagram feed is. July is a fun month, and we wanted that holiday vibe to come through to the brand.
The range is very fashion-focused – is this an important element to its success?
People love our colours. Yes, they want better quality, but they also want it to reflect their values in design, fashion, consideration, and sometimes politics. Travelling continues to be a key form of selfexpression and accessorising that look helps prepare for the trip ahead. Like buying a new pair of Birkenstocks before your next trip. What we find with customers who send us pictures at the airport is that going colourful on your luggage is a great way to accessorise your travel outfit while still wearing all black.
How important is sustainability to the July brand moving forward?
People want something more from their accessories and the brands that represent them. Creating higher-quality longer-lasting products at a fraction of the traditional price points thanks to our direct-to-consumer model means we are giving people of all economic situations the opportunity to own luggage that lasts a lifetime and stops the cycle of low-quality travel accessories. This stops landfill and waste for the category. Moving forward we are experimenting with recycled materials to help continue our responsibility to sustainability.
What’s next for July?
We spent the lockdown period focusing entirely on new products. We have some special things coming out this year. I’ll let you in on our next launch: we created the lightest doublewheel carry-on in the world. We created a new kind of wheel, a lighter handle out of magnesium, and a beautiful and strong eggshell outer case, all coming in at 1.8 kilograms. We were very excited because we could spend the time doing what we love: creating new products for better travel. This is a world first and we can’t wait to share it.
Where are you dreaming of travelling to in the future with your july luggage in tow?
This period has reignited the opportunity to visit more of Australia. I’d love to get a van, pack it with July luggage and tour the coast of Western Australia with the family to swim at all the amazing beaches and eat all the delicious produce.