The Thom Browne x Globe-Trotter Luggage Collection Hides 98 Handmade Steps Under Pebble Grain Leather
Every case is still built on Victorian-era machinery in Hertfordshire, then lined in university stripe oxford cloth.
by Sophie Caraan · HypebeastSummary
Thom Browne and Globe-Trotter have teamed up on a three-piece luggage collection wrapped in pebble grain leather
Each case takes ten days and nearly a hundred separate production stages to complete in England
The lineup scales from a strap-ready everyday piece to a check-in case built for weeks on the road
Thom Browne has partnered with British luggage maker Globe-Trotter on a three-piece collection that pairs the label’s tailoring codes with one of travel’s most rigorous manufacturing processes. The range includes the Micro Case, the Carry-On and the Check-In, each dressed in pebble grain leather and detailed with Thom Browne’s RWB stripe on the outside and university stripe oxford fabric on the inside.
Globe-Trotter’s construction method has remained largely unchanged since the company’s founding in 1897, and this collaboration keeps it intact. Production still happens by hand at the brand’s Hertfordshire facility, where craftspeople work with machinery dating back to the Victorian era. A single case moves through 98 distinct processes over roughly ten days before it is finished, a timeline that puts it closer to a bespoke garment than a mass-market suitcase.
The core of every piece is vulcanized fiberboard, the material Globe-Trotter has built its reputation on. Layers of paper are chemically treated and pressed into a rigid shell that holds up better than hide under stress while weighing less than a metal case of the same size. Thom Browne then wraps that shell in pebble grain leather, a textured finish chosen to soften and patina with use rather than stay showroom-new.
The interior is where Thom Browne’s wardrobe DNA shows most clearly. Each case is lined in the university stripe oxford cloth familiar from the label’s button-down shirting, while the RWB stripe runs across the exterior as the collection’s main identifier.
The three sizes cover distinct travel scenarios. The Micro Case is the most compact of the group, designed for daily use and carried either by hand or on a removable leather shoulder strap. The Carry-On is cut to fit the overhead bins of most major airlines, making it the pick for weekend trips and short flights. Rounding out the range, the Check-In offers enough capacity for multi-week travel.
The Thom Browne x Globe-Trotter collection is available exclusively at select Thom Browne stores.