TUMI’s 19 Degree Collection: Evolving an Icon Through Design, Material, and Movement

TUMI launched its Spring/Summer 2026 “Mediterranean Escape” collection during an event in Koh Samui, Thailand, held from March 28 to 30. Global Creative Director Victor Sanz positioned the 19 Degree collection as a system of design—where art, engineering, fashion, and function are resolved into a single, recognizable form.

The 19 Degree collection remains one of TUMI’s most defined design languages, evolving through careful adjustments rather than reinvention.

“We were very prescriptive about every rib, every angle, every transition,” Sanz shared, emphasizing how each decision contributes to how light moves across the surface and how the object performs in motion. 

Balancing Identity, Form, and Performance

At the core of the 19 Degree collection is its ribbed structure—each line set at a precise 19-degree angle, forming the basis of both its visual identity and structural system.

Equally important is how the ribs are interrupted. Rather than running continuously from top to bottom, they are intentionally broken to guide the eye across the form—producing a visual rhythm that shifts as the user moves. 

As the collection expands across formats—from hard-shell luggage to backpacks, shoulder bags, and smaller accessories—this rib system becomes the unifying design code. The goal, according to Sanz, is immediate recognition: each piece should read as part of the same family, regardless of scale or function.  “People should be able to pick it up immediately. They shouldn’t be looking at it and saying, ah, is that something else?” 

Material evolution follows the same logic. The collection has moved from aluminum to polycarbonate to lightweight technical materials, with each iteration introducing new performance capabilities without compromising its visual identity. 

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Translating Mediterranean Warmth into Design

Rather than treating “Mediterranean warmth” as a purely visual reference, TUMI approaches it as a layered system of color, material, and context.

For Sanz, color plays a primary role—greens, yellows, and terracotta tones evoke place and mood, allowing users to associate the object with a specific atmosphere. But the translation extends beyond the palette.

“We create these beautiful marketing campaigns that are showing it in context. It’s transporting people there very quickly because the product is only one side of the storytelling,” Sanz continued. 

He went on further to say that the environment, the messaging, and how the product is experienced complete that narrative.

This approach positions the collection not just as an object, but as part of a broader sensory experience—where design, environment, and use are interconnected.

Material Innovation and Technical Resolution

Introducing new textures, such as raffia-inspired finishes, required resolving performance and durability at a technical level. Sanz noted that this is the hard part—ensuring that, for a brand built on durability, every new material meets the same standards.

To achieve this, TUMI analyzes high-wear areas and reinforces them with more durable materials, such as leather at corners and base points. At the same time, base materials are treated and engineered to improve strength, ensuring that expressive finishes do not compromise longevity. 

The result is a collection where surface experimentation and structural performance are developed in tandem—rather than as separate considerations.

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Designing for the Journey

For Sanz, the success of the collection is ultimately measured not by the object itself, but by how it supports the act of travel. Functional features such as Front Access are integrated as part of the design system, extending usability without disrupting the overall form.

“I want people to remember their trip. I don’t want them to worry about the luggage and whether it broke or whether they had an issue. I want them to say, wow, because of this, my trip was as easy as possible,” he said.

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