Strolling down the airport runway last month, NBA star LeBron James made headlines for what some called a new kind of “style flex.” It’s a phrase young people use to describe an insanely expensive outfit worn for one reason and one reason only: to show off.
But it wasn’t James’s outfit the cameras were looking at. It was his luggage.
Paired with a Louis Vuitton garment cover, a satchel bag worth about $1,590, James rolled around with a small, black carry-on roller bag splashed with a big, white “X” — the result of a collaboration between the fashion brand Off-White and German luggage manufacturer Rimowa. The starting price of one of these suitcases — if you can even find one, given how quickly they sell out — is $1,700.
Expensive, limited-edition luggage such as James’s was this past year’s “it” accessory, according to Beth Goldstein, an accessories industry analyst at market-research firm NPD Group, just as 2018’s was the designer sneaker. James has even partnered with Rimowa, the 122-year-old brand known for its rare collaborations with popular designers, such as Off-White.
On the other hand, cheaper luggage alternatives, such as Away, have made a killing by appealing to young travelers eager for glamour without the price tag. Celebrities used to feel the same way, and if they didn’t, no one knew because no one saw their luggage.
Just a few years ago, famous figures, such as James, were rarely seen carrying their own luggage. It was burdensome and bulky, and if you could pay someone to do it for you, why wouldn’t you? But now, celebrities make a point of hauling their $5,000 luggage combination across the airport, posing for the paparazzi as they go, and drawing their unwitting fans into the deep and all-encompassing vortex that is a status symbol.
Meanwhile, the average magazine writer is still using the hand-me-down carry-on she stole from her parents in high school.
