14 Jan July Luggage – Creating premium luggage for the modern traveller
All ladies know the enviable image of ‘that’ woman, wandering through exotic locations with a breezy style, and pulling along chic luggage with eternal class. But more often than not, we find ourselves juggling a million bags, or on our knees looking for a charging port, all while dragging a tattered suitcase that’s desperately clinging onto life.
Not our best look!
But help is at hand, because thanks to the stunning travel accessories being designed by Melbourne start up July, everyone can now travel in style, without worrying about the pitfalls of luggage.
The Beginnings Of July
July was created in order to bring a better design thinking to the travel space. Allowing jet-setters to focus on all the best parts of travel, with a case by their side that’s both stylish and functional.
Founders Richard Li and Athan Didaskalou realized that the travel accessories industry had some serious issues, often making products as cheaply as possible, outsourcing the distribution, and ignoring all contact with the customer.
The result? Overpriced goods that definitely won’t survive that worldwide trip you’ve been planning.
Li and Didaskalou set out to fix this problem, reading over 4,000 reviews of existing cases to make sure they could give travellers exactly what they needed. The pair found that customers desperately wanted better reinforcement of corners and bends on cases, a better business model around trials and warranty, and more carefully considered features for travel.
The result is a scratch-proof, sophisticated, and minimalist case with everything travellers need, and no unnecessary frills. The design of July cases uses a unique eggshell shape around the corners, which creates more bounce back at the weakest points. Additionally they are reinforced with custom anodised aluminium bumpers for added protection.
By selling direct, the company avoids all the extra price mark-ups that are added by retailers, meaning July cases are incredibly affordable. The careful design creates longer-lasting luggage at a fraction of the traditional price, stopping the cycle of single use travel accessories, and giving everyone the opportunity to own stylish cases for life.
Why we love July
Did we mention how stunning July products are? Tacky luggage be gone, because a huge amount of thought has been put into the design of these pieces.
All the cases come in gorgeous shades of nude, blue, green and burgandy, as well as the ultimate minimalist dream – monochrome! The matte finish also feels incredibly luxurious. All cases are stamped with the July logo, but can also be personalized to include your name (or any funky word you feel like taking around the globe!).
All of July’s cases are designed to be unbreakable, using ultra-strong and ultra-lightweight German polycarbonate. Every case has a handle that adjusts to your exact height, and a hidden laundry bag that’s smell proof and compressible. Plus, July has specially designed wheels that glide silently across most surfaces, and won’t be defeated by those European cobblestones!
To make packing even easier, the July Y-Strap Compression System provides a heavy-duty strap that pulls down to create more space in your case. There’s space in there for a week’s worth of outfits.
Best of all, once you’re home, the cases nest perfectly inside each other, making them super simple to store while you count down the days until your next trip!
July Luggage Features
Free Shipping
All July orders ship free to Australia, Singapore and China!
Try For 100 Days
Take your new case for a spin and decide you don't love it? Send it back within 100 days for a full refund. Risk free shopping!
Lifetime Warranty
July puts huge effort into making their cases top-notch. If something isn't quite right, the team will repair or replace your case at no cost to you.
Approved To Fly
The July guys have taken their Carry-On with almost every major domestic and international carrier, and the dimensions get a big tick for airline standards!
Personalisation
If you want to make your case a little more individual, July has resident artists who will hand paint up to 5 letters, creating something truly unique.
July Luggage – Product Spotlight
Carry On
Capacity: 46L | Weight: 3.4kg
July’s Carry-on is quite possibly the star product of this beautiful brand. Just like the rest of the family, this baby is incredibly chic, and ticks all the right boxes for ease of use, and great design. The case can hold 46L, and only weighs 3.4kg!
The biggest built-in bonus? An ejectable battery that can charge both your phone and laptop! Plus, July made sure the battery is approved for flying on all major airlines. No more worries about battling your way through customs.
But hold on a minute, doesn’t this case look huge?? Well, you’re right! The case maximises how much you can bring onto a plane with you, but is still within the set dimensions for all Australian airlines, and most international ones.
The heavy-duty compression strap system also means you can take yourself from yoga class to cocktails, because there’s space in here for a week’s worth of outfits!
Checked
Capacity: 80L | Weight: 3.8kg
The July Checked bag might just be the most versatile product in the range. The perfect solution for anyone who constantly walks the line of the weight limit. With an 80L capacity, this will definitely become your new go-to for any major trips you’re planning. Plus, because of the gorgous July design, this staple piece will be twinning next to any other July luggage you have!
Despite carrying double the amount of the Carry-on bag, July Checked weighs almost exactly the same – a neat 3.8kg. The amount you can fit inside is hugely impressive, and will make outfit choices for longer trips an absolute breeze. From the reinforced corners to high quality zips and a strong security lock, this warrior suitcase ain’t gonna break, no matter what it encounters!
The Checked bag is also the perfect opportunity to try out July’s fabulous packing cells. A perfect solution for organizing rather than squashing all your luggage. The inbuilt laundry bag will be another massive help on your longer trips, keeping the rest of your clothes fresh by compressing laundry in a smell-proof pouch.
July Accessories To Match!
We got the chance to chat to Athan – co-founder of July Luggage to get an insider scoop on the brand, their process and what’s on the horizon for July.
Team Wander in Wonder:
How did the two of you begin working together? What specific skills or personality traits do each of you bring to the business?
Athan Didaskalou:
Richard and I met at a local café that we were both working out of on our own separate businesses. Over time we got to know each other and started July. While everyone does everything, we have complementary skill sets and personalities; Richard mostly handles the back end and I mostly handle the front end of the business.
Team Wander in Wonder:
Prior to creating July, did either of you have any terrible luggage experiences or what was your worst luggage-related experience? Did this have an impact on the design or thinking behind July Luggage?
Athan Didaskalou:
We’ve both travelled extensively and experienced every single possible terrible luggage experience out there. My pet peeve is bad wheels – it stops you from enjoying the travel component of your trip completely.
Before we started July, Richard and I read thousands of reviews of existing luggage brands to figure out everyone else’s pet peeves. There were strong trends and when we started to design the July Carry On we started by fixing those problems. Better wheels, curvier edges for more bounceback on drops, and handles that stop at any height you like.
Team Wander in Wonder:
COVID-19 has prevented a lot of people from travelling, has this changed how July is going to market?
Athan Didaskalou:
COVID has been a tense time for everyone, but now that we’re on the other side people are really looking forward to more domestic travels for longer periods, to make the most of the summer. We launched our first daily carry bags during this time, and have plans to launch more soon. We want to provide a range of carry options to anyone looking to get out, explore, or relax.
Team Wander in Wonder:
What aspects of the luggage industry made it easy or hard to disrupt? Was it difficult to break into an industry that’s so well established?
Athan Didaskalou:
Our incumbents have been around for decades, and in any industry like this there are significant challenges to get your foot in the door. It’s expensive to develop perfect luggage. We’re competing against brands who have been around for much longer than us.
July’s direct to consumer business model, modern designs and customer service have all been crucial to our success in attracting a loyal customer base.
Team Wander in Wonder:
What are some plans for the future of July Luggage?
Athan Didaskalou:
We want to make sure we make a bag for everyone. We have lots of new bags coming up, with special fabrics and collaborations. You’ll see more variety and options when it comes to luggage and travel bags for all the various types of travellers.
So choose your favourite colour and pop a personalised name on! The Checked bag and Carry-on power couple are going to become your new travel best friends!
