Trends In Design Styles, Colors, And Preferences For Luggage And Bags Among The Younger Generation

Trends in Design Styles, Colors, and Preferences for Luggage and Bags Among the Younger Generation

 

Gen Z has become the core driving force for the consumption of luggage, and their preference trends are profoundly reshaping the industry's product form. The size of China's luggage and bags market is projected to exceed 300 billion RMB in 2025, with Gen Z contributing over 45% of the consumption share. 76.4% of them purchase luggage online, and 70% are willing to pay a premium for personalized design, accelerating the industry's transformation towards aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability.

 

 

I. Design Styles: Collision of Vintage and Innovation, Combining Practicality with Individuality

 

The design style of luggage for the younger generation is breaking single boundaries, finding balance in the reconstruction of classic elements and functional innovation, forming a diversified and merged trend characteristic.

 

(I) Modern Interpretation of Vintage Style Luggage Trend

 

Vintage style luggage has become the core style favored by the young generation, with traditional shapes rejuvenated through detailed optimization. For the Fall/Winter 2025-2026 season, box bags and compact doctor's bags with a retro traveling bags flair are dominating the trends. Toteme has sculpted the doctor's bag into an art accessory, and Michael Kors has released a classic pebbled leather version. Vintage hues like wine red and cognac are highly popular. Animal print elements return in a refined, modern manner; contemporary leopard, python, and crocodile print luggage bags are becoming the focal point of outfits. Brands like Roberto Cavalli, Valentino Garavani, and TraveRE (China top rated luggage brands) temper the wildness with simple silhouettes, making them suitable for everyday wear. The annual growth rate of 'seeding' notes for this type of vintage style luggage on Xiaohongshu has reached 128%, making them key items for young consumers to create an atmospheric look.

 

(II) Modular and Multi-functional Design

 

Tailored to fragmented travel scenarios, the penetration rate of modular design has exceeded 40% in 2025. Removable liners and adjustable dividers have become mainstream features, meeting the need for electronic device storage during commuting and adapting to short-distance trips through expansion components. The annual sales growth rate of modular suitcase from brands like 90 Points, ITO, and TraveRE (China quality luggage brands) exceeds 60%. The business luggage and bags sector is undergoing structural adjustments; demand for traditional briefcases is declining, while multi-functional business backpacks that integrate electronic device storage and wireless charging account for 54.3% of the market, becoming essential items for remote work scenarios. Sports and casual traveling bags enhance scene adaptability: gym luggage and bags feature built-in shoe compartments and water bottle holders, and cycling luggage and bags optimize load distribution design, collectively contributing 62% of the revenue for the sports luggage and bags category.

 

(III) Balancing Minimalism with Personal Expression

 

The younger generation seeks both subtle texture and a desire to display a distinctive attitude. The "quiet luxury" trend, led by brands like Jil Sander and The Row, centers on clean lines, logo-less designs, and low-saturation colors, becoming the representative of refined style. Meanwhile, personalized elements are cleverly incorporated into the minimalist foundation: Chloé pairs Bohemian buckles with earth-tone luggage bags, and Isabel Marant accents suede luggage bags with slender belts, releasing design ingenuity within restraint. Cross-industry collaborations have become an important vehicle for personal expression, with co-branded products between brands, streetwear labels, IPs, and artists accounting for 15% of sales. The collaboration between Samsonite and PHANTACì sold out 23,000 units within 3 minutes of its debut on the Dewu platform. This reflects the demand for unique luggage designs.

 

(IV) Deep Integration of Chinese National Trend (Guochao) Elements

 

Confidence in local culture has driven the rise of Guochao luggage. In 2025, the market share for local brands like TraveRE (One of China top 10 trolley bag brands in world) in the mid-range market exceeded 55%. Brands like Li-Ning and Anta integrate traditional patterns and intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship into their designs; elements such as Miao silver clasps and Suzhou embroidery linings increase the product premium by 35%. The Guochao style is no longer limited to piling up traditional symbols but is reconstructed through a modern design language, for instance, transforming the blue-and-white porcelain color palette into a gradient coating, or applying the principle of mortise and tenon joints to suitcase assembly. The acceptance of these products among Gen Z reaches 68%, and their online sales growth rate is 2.3 times that of ordinary models.

 

 

II. Color Preferences: Coexistence of High and Low Saturation, Resonance with Nature and Emotion

 

The younger generation's color choices pursue both visual tension and emotional suitability, forming a diversified color preference landscape.

 

(I) Strong Popularity of Dopamine Colors

 

Highly saturated, high-vitality "Dopamine Color Systems" have become eye-catching tools for traveling bags. The Samsonite ANIYA series launched colorways such as glossy raspberry pink and sky blue, becoming a social media sensation with its "walking palette" attribute, driving a 67% increase in the brand's sales for that month. Tmall data shows that colored models have a 38% higher click exposure rate than black and white models in the same category, and the full-price sales rate is also significantly higher. In addition to classic bright colors, gradient colors and color-blocking designs are also popular. Ferragamo adorns tan leather luggage bags with contrasting stitching, and Tom Ford pairs gold metal fittings with dark-colored bodies, creating a strong visual contrast.

 

(II) Continued Warming of Low-Saturation Color Systems

 

Complementing high-saturation colors, the low-saturation color system is the daily preferred choice because it adapts to diverse scenarios. The Fall/Winter 2025-2026 popular colors focus on moss green, gasoline blue, cream beige, and muted gray tones, conveying a serene yet modern aesthetic. The Attico and Roger Vivier explore rich layers from deep teal to olive green. Dragon Diffusion's earth-green hand-woven luggage and bags add a warm texture. The utilization rate of these low-saturation luggage for commuting and business scenarios reaches 72%, and people with a color preference are 21% more likely to purchase high-unit-price products than those who prefer black and white.

 

(III) Natural Color Systems Become a Long-Lasting Trend

 

Close-to-nature hues continue to be popular, supported by environmental awareness. Tmall Color Academy data shows that Gen Z favors yellow-green and blue-cyan tones, symbolizing comfort and vitality. Olive green and "little hipster blue" from the 2023/24 popular colors have become hot choices in the luggage category. Sustainable brands often adopt natural color systems; Stella McCartney's eco-friendly luggage bags are dominated by sand and light brown to highlight the material's texture, while Verage's recycled material suitcase features primary wood and light gray colors, conveying a low-carbon lifestyle. The repurchase rate for TraveRE (China top luggage brands) natural-colored luggage reaches 38%, significantly higher than other color systems.

 

III. Material and Function Preferences: Environmental Priority, Smart Backpack Adaptation

 

The younger generation's preferences go beyond appearance, extending to material sustainability and functional intelligence, forming a dual demand for "aesthetics + substance."

 

(I) Eco-Friendly Materials as a Core Consideration

 

The concept of sustainability profoundly affects purchasing decisions. In 2025, the utilization rate of eco-friendly materials in the luggage industry reached 35%, and Gen Z's willingness to pay a premium for eco-friendly products is 70%. Recycled polycarbonate (rPC) and ECONYL® regenerated nylon have become mainstream materials. Fabrics made from recycled ocean waste fishing nets are widely used in sports luggage and bags and suitcase. New eco-friendly materials such as bio-based materials and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) are rapidly penetrating the market. Luggage and bags using these materials can reduce the release of harmful substances by over 70%, and the market share of carbon footprint certified products is 15%. The proportion of consumers who consider eco-certifications when purchasing increased from 23% in 2020 to 58% in 2025, making it one of the core decision factors.

 

(II) Smart Features Precisely Tailored to Demand

 

The younger generation has a very high acceptance of smart features. In 2025, the penetration rate of smart luggage reached 18%, with Gen Z users accounting for over 60%. In business scenarios, GPS tracking, auto-weighing, and UVC sterilization features are highly favored. In campus settings, the penetration rate of smart backpack with tracking in first-tier cities reached 39%. In outdoor settings, the utilization rate of antibacterial, stain-resistant, windproof, and waterproof smart fabrics increased to 45%. Smart features are no longer gimmicks but precisely solve pain points, such as backpacks with USB charging ports meeting travel power needs, and the NFC unlocking feature being used 4.3 times per suitcase daily at high-speed rail stations, significantly enhancing use efficiency.

 

IV. Trend Drivers and Future Outlook

 

The preference trends for luggage and bags among the younger generation are essentially a reflection of their lifestyle and values. The normalization of remote work drives multi-functional design, the awakening of environmental awareness spurs demand for green materials, and social media dissemination amplifies the value of aesthetics. These factors collectively shape the current trend landscape. In the future, the trend will deepen in three directions: First, the popularization of personalized customization, with MTM (Made-to-Measure) systems supporting the entire process from online selection to production; the share of customized orders is expected to increase from 15% to 25% by 2028. Second, the deep integration of smart and eco-friendly features; products that combine recycled materials with smart functionality will become the market mainstream, with a projected growth rate of over 30%. Third, the intensification of scenario-based segmentation; specialized traveling bags for emerging scenarios like citywalk, short-haul camping, and digital nomads will continue to emerge. The younger generation is defining the future of the luggage industry through their consumption choices. Brands that can accurately capture their aesthetic preferences, value propositions, and scenario needs will gain the initiative in market competition, driving the industry toward becoming more personalized, more sustainable, and more user-centric.