Sebastian Manes links with Jaden Smith for luxe luggage label Harper Collective

Former Selfridges executive buying and merchandising director Sebastian Manes has resurfaced at the helm of a new hard-case luggage line that he’s launching alongside Jaden Smith. The co-founders have just switched on their webstore with items available for pre-order ahead of their early August launch.

The pieces — which are securely pitched at the luxury consumer with prices from £595 — are partially made from reclaimed sea plastics, a market first.

It’s a launch that’s bound to attract plenty of publicity because of Smith’s involvement, as well as plenty of serious attention from the industry due to the presence of a heavyweight exec like Manes. 

His track record includes overseeing a multi-million-dollar overhaul of Selfridges footwear and accessories departments, “driving innovation and targeting millennial consumers”. He rose through the ranks at Selfridges after joining in 2003, and has also been an agent for brands such as Lanvin, Céline, and Ann Demeulemeester.

Smith, meanwhile, is known for his activism and his entrepreneurial ventures. The rapper and actor is the high-profile son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and has his own clothing/lifestyle brand MSFTSrep. He’s also a co-founder of 501CTHREE, a non-profit dedicated to driving innovation engineering and advocacy of solutions around global energy water and food challenges.

But even with their global recognition and experience, they have a big challenge ahead of them as they’re entering a hugely competitive market with established names like Samsonite having huge market shares, while the UK’s Antler has recently been relaunched by Australian firm Strandbags, and the deep-pocketed LVMH continues to put support behind its Rimowa label.

So what does the Harper Collective offer comprise? For now, there are cabin, medium, large and trunk-sized cases in three colour options (all black, black with silver hardware, and green with silver), priced up to £795.

The focus is very much on sustainability with the company saying “we understand that perfection is not always attainable in manufacturing, but we believe in continuous improvement and innovation to produce better and more sustainable products for our customers. Our passion for creating functional and beautiful products from ‘trash’ has led us to share our entire sourcing process with others, promoting full transparency in our operations”.

That’s where the USP comes in with the partners having spent five years incubating the project that now allows them “to create a luggage line made from sea plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic. Despite making numerous mistakes along the way, we persisted in our pursuit of this dream, designing our cases and logo and beginning the long process of bringing our vision to life”.

Having studied the recycling of fishing nets, they said they’ve made a “significant breakthrough”, with the sea plastic they use being “a new technology and until this point it has never been used for a luxury product”.

They’ve worked with outside partners including Epsotech in Dusseldorf, Germany, to develop products using the sea plastic, and also “the biggest expert in vacuum forming in England”, LineCross in Leicester.

They needed the external expertise because of the difficulty involved in using sea plastic (and other recycled plastics) due to their multiple origins and contamination.

Now the label is in production, every case is being crafted by hand in Blackburn in the UK under a deal with specialist manufacturer VGTEC. 

Other sustainability features include no glue or chemicals used in construction with “every component carefully riveted and stitched by hand to create a durable and long-lasting product”.

And an extra selling point is that the case interiors have been created in a collaboration with British brand Barbour. “To enhance the look, we have incorporated their signature diamond quilted trim, made from eco-friendly recycled nylon,” the company said. That also comes with a zipper, “allowing you to easily dry clean your Barbour trim whenever necessary”.

Meanwhile the “distinctive telescopic handle was initially developed in the UK, but production was impossible due to our complex design”. The company worked with Jollying in Guangdong China on this, as well as for the wheels, “which are made from virgin plastic for durability”.