Louis Vuitton’s vintage trunks are not only notoriously hard to acquire, they’re also very expensive. However, if you’ve always fancied yourself a bit of that LV heritage, the French Maison has rolled out (literally!) a modernised version of its iconic carriers, specially designed by industrial designer Marc Newson. And modernised these luggage are. Several layers of mesh matrix form the patent-pending self-reinforced polypropylene composite, rendering the trunk extremely lightweight and thin. You also won’t have to worry about your precious trunk being destroyed by ruthless manhandling at airports – the matrix’s elastic properties make it extremely shock-absorbent. Newson then placed the anodised extendable cane outside the trunk, essentially eliminating all awkward grooves inside and giving the bag 15 percent more internal volume. A new built-in transversal side hinge, once used in the traditional hard trunks, now allows for a 180-degree opening in the TSA-approved carrier. Additionally, Newson – who’s delved into a wide range of design disciplines such as aircrafts, architecture and furniture – created a revolutionary zip-pull lock system (also patent-pending) that’s integrated with a single zipper pull, great for reducing weight and minimising stress points that double zip pulls usually give. At its base, four miniature wheels offer silent, 360 degree maneuvering. Just like Vuitton’s historic trunks, each bag is luxuriously coated with a choice of either the Maison’s Monogram Damier canvases, VVN leather, Taiga leather and a kaleidoscopic selection of Epi leather. The collection will be launched in two handy sizes; the Mini 50 (ideal for a short vacation) and Cabin 55 (maximum space in a cabin-sized luggage) and the Mon Monogram customisation service is available for that extra personal touch. Catch the video below for first dibs on the Louis Vuitton x Marc Newson New Rolling Luggage series and to catch Newson in action. Louis Vuitton announced a luggage collaboration with Apple designer Marc Newson earlier this month and now there’s a sweet teaser for the collection that showcases the range’s lightweight durability and veritable spectrum of colorways. Watch as the bags glide across smooth floors as moons wax and wane in the background of the teaser above. IMAGE: LOUIS VUITTON If you’re a fan of Louis Vuitton (who isn’t these days, especially with what Kim Jones has done for the mens collection in recent years) and design wunderkind Marc Newson, here’s a new collection from the French luxury house that will get you excited for sure. In collaboration with Marc Newson, Louis Vuitton has launched a new collection of Rolling Luggages that aims to meet the needs of today’s 21st century traveller. Featuring 3 important innovations that every frequent flyer will appreciate, it a) is made up of an ultra-thin titanium layer bonded to the polypropylene composite shell that makes it super lightweight, b) comes with an external full-width extendable cane (handle) with a simple zip puller closing system and c) is the very first of all Louis Vuitton luggages today to have four wheels, In other words, it’s light, it’s easy to use and most importantly, it will be easier to manoeuver as well, which should cut time spent from the time you disembark the plane to getting into your car by at least a third. Available in 2 sizes, a Mini50 and a Cabin55 (because God forbid you check in something as gorgeous and as precious as this), this would be the luggage you use for a short two-day trip (use the Mini 50) or go for the maximum allowed onto any airline (the Cabin 55). IMAGES: LOUIS VUITTON Now for the best part. The Rolling Luggages will come in at least 6 different finishes, which means after you’ve decided on the size, you’ll have to choose from between the following: Monogram Canvas, Monogram Eclipse, Damier Graphite, Epi (a virtual rainbow of choices here), Taiga and something called VVN, which is basically Vuitton’s vachetta leather wrapped around the entire luggage and one that will patina beautifully over time. IMAGE: LOUIS VUITTON Priced from SGD3650 all the way to SGD8100 depending on finish and size, here’s another bit of information that will please all of you in Singapore. Whilst the rest of South Asia will only get this new collection sometime in end-September, we can all buy it now at Louis Vuitton boutiques across the island, from Marina Bay Sands to Ngee Ann City and ION Orchard. So what do I have my eye on? Right now it’s the Cabin55 in eitherMonogram Canvas or Monogram Eclipse, which are also the only ones (along with Damier Graphite) that can be personalised with your initials with LV’s Mon Monogram service. Louis Vuitton is launching an innovative new range of rolling trunks for the 21st century traveller, designed by Wallpaper* Power Lister and internationally renowned industrial designer Marc Newson. Its core is moulded as a slim and elastic, shock-proof mesh matrix of self-reinforced polypropylene composite. To achieve the greatest lightness possible, Vuitton’s celebrated Monogram canvas has been slimmed down 50 per cent without compromising its original characteristics. Unlike most rolling trunks, the extendable cane, engineered in lightweight anodised aluminium, has been relocated to the outside, adding structure and strength and removing bulky bumps and ridges from the interior, allowing for more packing space. A new transversal side hinge is built into the structure of the trunk, and the three-digit combination zip-pull lock system – with a single zipper pull – is designed to reduce weight and avoid the usual stress points of double zip pulls. The new trunk comes in three sizes: mini (50 x 35 x 20 cm), cabin (55 x 39 x 21 cm) and maxi (68 x 46 x 26 cm). All three sizes are available in the classic Monogram canvas, Monogram Eclipse, Damier Graphite, Taiga leather and a rainbow of seven colours of Epi leather. Newson and Vuitton worked rigorously to achieve some impressive stats: 36 litre capacity for the cabin size – an increase in internal volume of 13 per cent compared to a similar sized trunk – and a weight of a mere 2.7kg for the mini version and just 3kg for the cabin size. Development took around 18 months, although frequent flier Newson says he's ‘probably spent 20 years designing these things in my head, long before I knew that I was going to be doing this for Louis Vuitton’. ‘I think it’s safe to say that we’re striving to break new ground in terms of developing a product which is one of the lightest in the market, and from a technical perspective is one of the most rigorously designed and engineered,' explains Newson. 'I’m obsessive about packing everything into a bag of a certain size, which is why it was so important for me to design a product that could tick all of those boxes and be the perfect piece of luggage for a person like me, [who] won’t travel with anything more than is absolutely necessary.' To accompany the launch, the French maison will offer shoppers who purchase their cases a 48 hour after-sales repair service in 14 global cities, which will also be integrated into the Louis Vuitton travel app.