People pretend they care about the environment. Some legitimately do, but using Earth-friendly materials has generally not been a very sound business strategy.
It’s a good marketing strategy. Consumers like to hear about how green the items they might purchase are. What they generally won’t do is pay a premium price for those items.
Related: Bankruptcy forces iconic ice cream chain to close 500 locations
Companies that push their mission above the value of their product tend to fail. That’s because people generally want the Earth to be all good, but most would drink their melted whale blubber from an ivory mug before using a paper straw that melts in their coffee.
Eco-friendly seems desirable, but it’s a background footnote, not a business plan. It’s the difference between your friend who happens to be vegan and the person who has made their veganism their personality.
Now, another well-intentioned brand that was designed to help the planet while its users travel the planet has gone bankrupt.
Paravel Luggage had a noble mission
Most people think of luggage as something that’s practical. People who travel more often may also consider quality and durability.
There are, of course, people who swear by designed brands, but those tend to be designers who made their names outside of the travel space.
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Becoming a new, premium luggage brand is a challenge. That’s what Paravel tried to do. It set out its mission on its website, which is no longer operational,
“We are a travel-inspired brand with sustainability at the core of everything we do. We believe travel can be transformative and celebrate all forms, local and far – from a trip to the park to a milestone life celebration on the other side of the world. We create impeccably designed, multi-functional, sustainable bags, luggage and accessories: companions for all journeys,” the company shared on its website.
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- Popular discount retailer files bankruptcy, closes all stores
The company shared a lot of information about how its luggage was made.
“100% of our products use recycled and upcycled materials,” it shared before detailing some of those materials.
- Ecocraft Canvas: Natural cotton fiber combines with thread made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles to create a durable canvas, finished with a silicone coating (which has a lower environmental impact, contains fewer chemicals, and has a longer lifespan than other plastic-based coatings) to protect it from stains.
- Negative Nylon: 100% post-consumer plastic bottles transform into a lightweight, water-resistant fabric that we use in just about every product we make.
- Recycled Vegan Leather: We spent years developing our preferred vegan leather, which is crafted from two layers of PU (polyurethane leather) that envelop a layer of recycled polyester, creating a textile that’s made from 60% recycled material that adds a luxurious accent to suitcases, accessories, and bags.
Paravel files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Paravel filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on May 19. A Chapter 7 means the company will be liquidated.
No public mention of the filing was made and the Paravel website simply shut down with no notice. Some customers did take to Reddit to comment.
“Not sure if any of you folks have Paravel Luggage but I’ve acquired a few pieces over the years. They just ran their big summer sale during which I bought myself a new suitcase and also purchased a monogrammed suitcase set for my niece who is going to college in Aug. I received one part of the order last week, but then last night got multiple emails that the remainder of my orders were being refunded. No explanation,” shared @eringobragh21.
In the filing, the company showed assets of $1 million to $10 million and debts of $10 million to $100 million. The filing was made in Delaware Bankruptcy Court.
People still looking to buy Paravel luggage can find it in stock at some of the company’s retail partners. The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, however, likely means that all warranties won’t be honored unless a company acquires the brand and decides it wants to do that.
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