MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT
JEN RUBIO, 31, co-founded luggage brand Away in 2016. She is single and lives in New York. I’VE ALWAYS been obsessed with bags. I remember, aged 14, poring over a website called PurseForum, where people posted pictures of the handbags they loved — but I never thought my business would actually end up being bags.
I’ve done random jobs, from financial analysis of new products for Johnson & Johnson to social media manager for spectacles brand Warby Parker. The common thread was how people interacted with products and brands.
In 2015, I had just finished a contract working with AllSaints in London and, while I was working out my next move, I was asked to host a round-table discussion about cryptocurrency at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
On my way through Zurich Airport, the zip on my bag broke and all my clothes spilled out. I’d left a trail of them behind me before I realised. It was so embarrassing! I remember thinking, thank goodness everyone who goes to Davos flies on private jets — at least they won’t be here at the airport.
When I was looking for new luggage, I asked friends for recommendations, but nobody had a brand they really loved.
Travel is an emotional part of our lives. We obsess about where we’re going, what we’re doing, what we’re packing — but nobody had a great luggage brand they recommend.
That was my light-bulb moment. I wanted to create a luggage brand that people cared about.
After interviewing hundreds of people about what they wanted from their luggage, we came up with a case that was lightweight, spacious and durable, with a lifetime guarantee.
Away luggage is designed for how people travel now: our carryon cases have built-in batteries, so you can charge your phone and other devices on the go.
We raised €225,000 from friends and family to put together prototypes, and then a further €2.2 million from seed funding.
Since starting in February 2016, we’ve sold more than 500,000 suitcases and collaborated on limited edition designs with model Karlie Kloss and designer Margherita Missoni, as well as film franchises, including Minions and Star Wars.
It’s amazing to think a broken bag kickstarted the whole thing.