A new collaboration between one of our favourite suppliers of design-driven headphones, Master & Dynamic, and bespoke luggage-maker Away has us longing to start taking trips again. It might not be an optimum time to pitch a travel accessory, but the story here is one of shared design values, materials and ethos. The range includes cross-branded luggage, in materials such as leather and aluminium, as well as specially branded over-ear headphones and earbuds.
We asked Away’s CMO Selena Kalvaria, and Master & Dynamic’s founder and CEO Jonathan Levine about the partnership, starting with the question, why now?
Selena Kalvaria: There is an organic connection between travel and sound – sound enhances the travel experience by allowing us to relax, energise, escape or focus. We’ve always had a goal to partner on a collaboration that speaks directly to this crucial, sensory part of travel. Being an authority in the sound space, Master & Dynamic was the dream partner to bring the vision to life.
Jonathan Levine: We’ve always considered our headphones and earphones to be travel products as well as audio devices – they’re built to maximise playtime during long flights, to feel light and comfortable during extended listening, and of course to provide brilliant sound. Working with a travel company felt very natural to us. We were especially excited to work with Away not just because they have an iconic product, but because they put so much thought into their designs and consider the end consumer in every part of their product.
Wallpaper*: What are the material and tech relationships between the two brands?
Selena Kalvaria: When you think about leading brands in the audio space, Master & Dynamic definitely tops that list. There is such attention to detail in their approach to designing beautiful and technically sophisticated products. When it came time to create a unified vision for the collection, the process was seamless because at Away we value so many of the same components. Our brands share a love of thoughtful, clean design and utilise many of the same materials in our core collections, including aluminium and leather.
Jonathan Levine: We’ve always been a fan of what Away creates – each detail is engineered to be convenient, beautiful and durable. That type of dedication to design is a common thread between our two brands and can be seen throughout this capsule collection. We both have a similar clean design aesthetic, as well as signature leather and aluminium styles, so it was very easy to see the shared vision from the start! Because of this, we were able to marry our most travel-ready products with Away’s in a really organic way. We take the same approach with our tech.
W*: How has the changing world impacted on the collaboration?
JL: The world of travel (and the world in general) has changed a lot since this collection was first conceived, but our goal was and still is to celebrate the transformative power of sound and music. We wanted to create a collection that makes it easy to escape – whether it’s a weekend trip, dreaming of future travel destinations, or listening to music that can inspire and uplift your mood. Releasing the collection now, both brands felt an even stronger calling to support the live music industry during its time of need, which led to us deciding together to donate the net proceeds to [the Recording Academy’s charity] MusiCares.
SK: The world has changed in so many ways since this partnership was conceived. But we knew that now more than ever, it made sense to introduce the collaboration. No matter what travel means to an individual at this moment in time, the pieces from the collection will enhance any trip, regardless of distance, duration, or location.
Suitcases and bags, such as ‘The Carry-On: Aluminium Edition’, £475, come with a sound wave-inspired lining
W*: Are there any special products planned going forward?
JL: We hope so! Sound and music are an essential part of so many people’s travels and we hope to explore more ways to enhance that experience for our customers. §