Famed New York Designer Betsey Johnson Launches Luggage Line

Travel’s cutest throwback accessory has just dropped. Famed and fantastical New York designer Betsey Johnson is launching a luggage line to help you strike a harmonious work-life balance.

As someone who has a passion for travel, Johnson says there’s no time like the present to “have a nice life, have a nice day, take more time off, enjoy yourself.” With that in mind, the designer is excited to announce the launch of her luggage line, which is dropping this May and is available for pre-order now. You can shop the line directly on the Betsey Johnson website; later this season it will be available at big box retailers, like Macy’s and Amazon.

The luggage is part of Betsey Johnson’s summer collection, inspired by the designer’s recent move to Paradise Cove, Malibu, where she hopes to spend time with her daughter, Lulu. According to Johnson’s press representative, the New York designer left the Big Apple for a slower way of life, and to be shoreside with family (including her grandchildren). The designer said that if she had to do it all over again, she “edit all of the bad stuff out,” and “take more time out.”

After receiving the Style Icon Award at the 21st Annual ACE Awards in 2017, the 75-year-old designer told W Magazine that she loves “the opposite vibe of Malibu to New York.” In the same article, Johnson talks about how earlier in Lulu’s life, family took a backseat to her career. And though Johnson has no plans to retire, she’s content with her role as Creative Director of the brand, proving it’s never too late for a woman to recalculate her work-life balance. In fact, that self-empowered, inspirational whimsy is the design aesthetic behind her luggage line, which she decided to bring back for Spring/Summer 2018.

Other playful wanderlust inspired pieces of the collection include summer-themed limited edition cross-body bags.

Betsey Johnson wearing pieces from her SS18 collection, in Las Vegas

Johnson, who won the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, continues to offer playful fashion at affordable price points. The sassy prints on these luggage sets are not only stylish, they ensure you won’t waste a second of your vacation struggling to identify your luggage at baggage claim.

About the author

Jill Di Donato

Fashion Editor

Jill is a New York native who holds a BA in Literature from Barnard College, and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. She is the author of the novel Beautiful Garbage (She Writes Press, 2013) about the downtown Manhattan art and fashion scene in the 1980s. A former staff writer for The Huffington Post and Bustle, Jill comes to Culture Trip after working with Refinery 29, Vice, Salon, Paste Style, Los Angeles Times, Nylon, Shopify, Autre, and producing content for emerging fashion labels. She teaches classes about fashion and culture at Barnard College and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Her prized possessions are her Gucci fanny pack, vintage rocker t-shirts, and her grandmother's collection of costume jewelry. She's always on the lookout for a gem-encrusted turban.