Pack like Marc Newson
As a preeminent modern product designer, Marc Newson knows plenty about streamlining and efficiency. In his latest collaboration with Louis Vuitton, he has tweaked the classic duffel bag, creating a carry-on of water repellent, heat-formed technical yarn, with 95 per cent less stitching than conventional luggage (so it won’t split), and near-silent wheels — all weighing less than 3kg. But how does Newson pack for a trip?
“I’ve got a large wardrobe, I know exactly where everything is,” he explains. “I subconsciously cross-reference that with the number of days that I’m abroad. So, I will do two things: start from one corner of my wardrobe and literally go through everything, from top to bottom, left to right, all the way to the other end. And I know that I have not missed anything. In that wardrobe is everything from underwear to passport to belts, cufflinks if I need them, a tie if I need it, business cards, pens, sunglasses, reading glasses; the whole world.”
Newson then maps out each day of the trip and “outfits” accordingly. He takes a suit, but would only wear it for pleasure, not business. He also travels light.
“Never, ever, ever do I check-in luggage.
It’s my golden rule. I’ve never been particularly lucky, checking stuff in. I’m one of those people for whom things tend to go missing. So first and foremost, I just can’t stand the prospect of my bags not arriving. And I absolutely, obsessively, like to be the first one off the plane.”