It all started with a question: how can I travel with a suit without all the hassle?
Both of us started our careers in investment banking, and made frequent business trips. We always felt a bit frustrated by traditional travel goods big-name luggage brands: They used the same old material and construction with slight variations in style and quality, without really tackling our problem.
So Michael resigned his day job to focus on the challenge he had set himself: Carry a suit wrinkle free in a carry-on. He invented a type of luggage that solved the perennial problem of keeping clothes in good shape while travelling. Michael then persuaded Vinzent to leave his comfortable job and join him on a mission to change the world of business travel. After convincing private investors to support our project, life went from crafting PowerPoint slides to designing prototypes and improving the patented system behind VOCIER:
This is the story of how F1 Racing helped us design the world’s most exquisite wrinkle-free luggage system
At one point, I thought it couldn’t be built.
Prototypes failed and problems kept popping up in the design, but I was determined to achieve my goal of creating the world’s most sophisticated wrinkle-free luggage system.
That goal soon turned into an obsession, as I spent hours toiling away at computer-assisted drafts and studying new types of materials. I even taught myself how to sew (I’m an engineer, by trade) and spent most of my Christmas holidays moulding and grinding carbon fiber parts in a lonely school workshop.
It was exhausting.
But then on one particularly draining day, I collapsed into my living room chair and switched on the TV. A documentary on Formula One racing came on, and within just minutes of watching it I had a revelation about how to build the luggage system I had been dreaming about.
Before I explain further, you should understand exactly what type of challenge I was up against.
The challenge: style and utility in one
The problem I faced was trying to balance style with practicality; finesse with usability.
VOCIER luggage had to ensure that even the most delicate suit would arrive at its destination safe and wrinkle-free – but I also wanted our travel bags to be hand-made with the finest fabrics and softest leathers in Europe.
There were enough purely utilitarian travel bags on the market that claimed to keep clothes wrinkle-free. VOCIER needed to provide the ideal blend of proven practicality and gentlemen-like sophistication.
I already had a solution in mind: traditional bags wrinkle clothes because of tight corners, resulting in folds, and pressure that is put on the garment. By avoiding these factors, the wrinkles will be reduced.
But I knew solving this problem wouldn’t be easy. The luggage had to still be ergonomic, lightweight and (of course) attractive. Plus, it needed to meet all international carry-on regulations.
A solution found in F1 racing
After watching that documentary on F1 racing, I had an epiphany.
The program detailed the first-ever team of racers to use the engine of their car as a stress-bearing component of the vehicle’s construction.
It made perfect sense. After all, the engine is one of the heaviest and strongest parts of the vehicle. So why not use that strength as part of the car itself?
I took that idea and applied it to the luggage. Aluminum tubes are usually mounted on a travel bag’s hard shell, but are actually the strongest part of the product. So I used these tubes to form the spine of the VOCIER C38, rather than merely mounting them on the exterior as most luggage makers do.
From this foundation, I was able to create a luggage system that gently rolls the suits – rather than folding them – around an interior compartment of the bag. This ensures that the fabric remains wrinkle-free.
Click here for more details on how the VOCIER Zero Crease System works.
Materials sourced from across the globe
I had the mechanics of the C38 sorted out. But the product was far from complete.
We tested 5 different concepts made with various materials and mechanisms. It took 14 different prototypes before we were satisfied with the design; but we still had to perfect the construction.
This piece of luggage had to embody the same sophisticated style found in the world’s finest suits, while providing exceptional durability that we could back with a satisfaction guarantee.
So we travelled the world in search of the right materials. We sampled 40 types of leather, 25 kinds of fabric and toured 5 different manufacturers before finalizing the basic components.
Every stitch on the C38 was agonized over. We changed our zipper supplier four times, just to make sure we got it right.
Demos were built, tested and destroyed in an effort to evaluate their weak points.
After four years of development and refinement, we were finally satisfied with the final product: the most stylish and upscale wrinkle-free garment bag on the market today.
That’s the story behind how I developed the VOCIER C38 wrinkle-free bag. Experience this product for yourself and let us know if all the hard work was worth it.
We hope that you enjoy our products and that they make your travel experience more enjoyable.
We love what we do. We hope you love what we create.