Arlo Skye
I continually preach to founders the importance of bringing on investors who understand your business. Not ones that just understand the financials but actually understand the product and the importance to the end user. I think the same way when it comes to founders which is why I always ask entrepreneurs the path they took to their business. I like to hear from founders that have spent time in the business that they are building. When I look at the back end of food businesses that are rooted in the agriculture world I hope that they come from that vertical vs someone who has just graduated from business school looking at the opportunity landscape finding holes where they believe a business should be built. It is a different mindset.
A few luggage businesses have crossed my desk and not one of them was of interest to me. Then another luggage business was shown to me from an entrepreneur I am invested in. The founders were not only out of luxury but steeped in luggage for decades. Former Louis Vuitton and Tumi executives Mayur Bhatnagar and Denielle Wolfe are the brains behind this business. They have the contacts, they have made and sold luggage, they understand how to build a business and they have a gut about where this industry should go. I met them, I loved it and I invested. The business is called Arlo Skye.
The New York-based travel brand launches today with a Carry-On reimagined for the design-obsessed. With an uncompromising focus on quality, elegance and practical intelligence. The Carry-On is engineered from a novel, lightweight aluminum-magnesium
The CarryOn is immediately available for preorder at Arlo Skye and costs $495 USD. There is a limited amount available so if you are intrigued don’t hesitate. I can hardly wait to get mine!
Comments (Archived):
This is great news! Need one so bad. Thanks, Joanne!
it is a beautiful piece of luggage.
Interesting – I was expecting you say it was the “zipcar for luggage” or something in that realm. Most of our luggage only gets used about two-to-three times a year and we’ve had it for at least a decade (these pieces look even higher quality so I’m guessing they’ll last many many years!).
this luggage is rock solid. they all have smart technology. it is the future but at the end of the day it is about design and function. their smart part is smarter than the rest too.
Makes sense to me. If I was in the market for luggage, I’d snatch up a couple of these for sure!
@falicon You just made our day! Thanks from Team ARLO SKYE.
Cool! I am in the market for new luggage and will check it out. I was at a pitch competition for veterans yesterday and thought of you when I saw this one: rumispice.com 2 female vets are working to help Afghan farmers, use economics to beat the Taliban, and employ people in tough neighborhoods here in the US. Daniel Bouloud and Rick Bayless are customers. type the words eatlovesaffron to save 10%!
interesting…
i saw this before. i love what these women are doing.
Yes, I am not an investor. I just thought it was a pretty cool story and so I bought some saffron! They get really high quality. The best I have seen is in Istanbul at the spice bazaar-which all comes from Iran or Iraq. I was shocked that farmers can make 7x money over growing opium.I also like to support veterans when I can. I found out yesterday that 49% of WW2 vets returned home and started a business. I am hoping we see those kinds of numbers with our current vets, if we can ever get them home.
Thanks for sharing. Denielle was talking about her journey into the startup world but was very secretive about what she is working on. Now we know! I am super impressed by the design and attention to detail – beautiful!
beautiful for sure!
Thank you! Appreciate the kinds words and promise we will over deliver on expectations. It’s the only way we know how to deliver. Cheers!
I am design and detail obsessed so to me this is art. They could adapt the inside part to all sorts of additional uses. [1][1] As only one example photography equipment (things that are carried at B&H photo..)
Hi @le_on_avc:disqus Thanks for the tip. We’re on it after this release comes out 🙂
I was thinking the same EXACT thing!
The http://www.arloskye.com/det… is really nice. I am not seeing the weight of the case and I think that’s important to talk about (assuming it weighs less than a traditional luxury case).
Much less. Will let them know
Happy Friday from Team ARLO SKYE! The weight of the case is 9.2 lbs including the portable charger. We’re using a novel aluminum-magnesium alloy that about 2.3x stronger than the commonly available polycarbonate plastic cases. Those specifics details are on the Pre-Order page. https://arloskye.com/preOrd… Vuitton cases are typically 10-12 lbs. The Rimowa aluminum line is around 10-12 lbs. TUMI cases have a wide range from 8 lbs to 13 lbs – but only in polymer plastic or nylon. We hope this helps!
I’m in the market to buy one now.Comments:-Where I can look at one as I would never buy this without touching it?-Not having photorealistic picture of this from the inside is a mistake.-Not showing luggage in relation/in proportion to people to use it is a fatal mistake marketing wise.-Video on imagination is cool. I would rather see what the bag looks like with real people using. Your suit case if you travel like I do is a pretty damn personal item.Intrigued with the bag on your recommendation.Marketing wise they need guidance as I want to buy but can’t.thanks
@awaldstein Hi there! Denielle and I are delighted that you took a moment to check out ARLO SKYE. The interior view of The Carry-On is in the “Gallery” which you can access from the Pre-Order page. https://arloskye.com/preOrder We’re offering a 100 day hassle free trial after you receive your Carry-On. Fly the skies, sail the seas, and if you don’t love it (but we really think you will), give us a call and we’ll arrange for a hassle-free return with a full refund.
you are about to see a slew of stuff hit the wire that you won’t touch. but this is good feedback
I think you are right but then a cautionary note that they need to handle returns as seemlessly as Amazon does which is simply a click on anything from a phone plug to a file cabinet.That is the only way to change behavior.And super expensive at small scale to build a system for.And btw–for a great bag with a 5 year no questions asked return policy, this bag could cost $100 more.
People used to say the same thing about books… and clothes… and shoes. Indeed we’re in a world now where you don’t always get to physically touch things ahead of time, but with easy shipping and returns, and good photos, video, and maybe VR/AR in the future, I think it’s something we’re ready for.I’m still hesitant for (physically) larger items, because it’s a pain to pack things up for the UPS pickup. I was okay buying a Tuft & Needle mattress, but couldn’t quite pull the trigger on ordering a sofa without sitting in it first, “easy” returns or not.This carry-on looks great, and I’m in the market, wish I could get it without the charger (I usually pack a little USB battery, but a built in one seems like one more thing to make the TSA curious).
The charger in this luggage pops out and you can take it with you on the plane. It is smart and sleek. You don’t have to plug in your luggage. They haven’t done a great job of highlighting all the features but they are all very intelligent. Great design through and through.
Very slick, I just saw the photo of that, and as I have yet to disagree with your sense of taste, I think I’ll be ordering one. Only question is, what color? 🙂
I went with the silver.
Good stuff Joanne.
Henk makes this seem very mass market.