July Goes Beyond Baggage Claim With a Range of Workbags, Purses and Weekenders

July was founded in Melbourne in 2018. Eight years later, it’s lining baggage claim trolleys across Australia.

Now the luggage brand is moving into a new space with a longer list of handbags and accessories. The first taste has been released in collaboration with Sydney-based fashion writer Zara Wong, an ex-Vogue Australia and Mecca editor whose Substack Screenshot This is one of Australia’s most-read newsletters.

“Luggage is our foundation, but the principles of functional-yet-beautiful design carry so naturally to bags that take you beyond the gate,” says July co-founder Athan Didaskalou. “Working with Zara brought a fresh perspective to the pieces we’ve been developing. Zara’s edit encapsulates the breadth of what July has come to represent. 

Her edit includes 16 pieces, including bowler bags, work totes, backpacks, crossbodies and new colourways for luggage: trunks in brown and almond, and suitcases in a rich plum.

“[July’s] handbags have been sleeper hits,” said Wong in a statement. “When I spent time with the July team, it was clear the design thinking behind the bags is very real. Meeting with July’s lead product designer Sophia Martin and learning about her background at Acne Studios and Thom Browne really resonated with me – those are houses known for their design discipline. You can see that same attention to structure and detail in the pieces here, which made curating the edit feel very natural to me.”

A key component of the collection is the frame bags with magnet flap closures.

In crossbody bags there’s a mini suede bowler in chocolate brown, frame crossbody bags in a vibrant coral and rich khaki, and mini winged crossbody totes – one in plum and another in a pony-hair cowhide.

Work totes include built-in laptop sleeves and a base that should fit a 900-millilitre lunch container lying flat. There are frame closure work totes in cowhide leather, wayfarer totes made from Japanese denim, and open-winged totes. July’s first backpacks and a sleek bowler bag would also be chic options for any nine-to-fivers.

For getaways there are soft chocolate brown weekender bags and structured croc-embossed frame weekender bags. There’s also a leather beauty case. (Wong is ex-Mecca, after all).

Some bags are available to buy now, but others are available for pre-order and will be released later in the year.

The Zara Wong edit is available to shop online.

july.com/au/zara-wong-edit/

@july

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