Gaston Luga | Scandinavian Design & Living

Founded in Stockholm, Gaston Luga is a producer of quality backpacks and accessories inspired by Scandinavian design and living. “Gaston Luga designs, develops and sells bags, our bags focus is on being able to be worn, we ensure that all our products are manufactured ethically, take great care in making sure that all the materials used, as well as our methods of transportation, have the lowest climate impact possible.”

We spoke to the Gaston Luga team, to learn more about their brand identity, sustainability mission, unique takes on each of their product and get insight on the future of the brand.

For Gaston Luga brand identity is what their customers express about them. “We have heard people describe Gaston Luga as minimalist design, functional and some of our customers have always thought of a backpack as a school thing, but now they wear it as a functional accessory. I think that we stand out in the marketplace as a modern company with our values, we strive for being proud of what we do today and for future generations to come. Our design is sleeker and more minimalistic, a bit hip, compared to our friends in the same market.” Gaston Luga backpacks are designed for carrying people’s everyday life essentials, and they have different styles that are suitable for all kinds of occasions, from going to work or out with friends, to weekend long adventures. They make bags for people to carry their lives effortlessly and in style.

With effortless travel in mind Gaston Luga backpacks meet most commercial aircraft’s carry on requirements, “We understand that our customers love traveling, so our backpacks have travel friendly designs like small pockets both inside and outside to store personal belongings, but still we recommend people check on airlines’ website about the carry-on requirements before you start the journey, because they have different regulations depending on the airlines.”

A good example of a carry on friendly bag is their new release Tåte, “made with lightweight waterproof material and I can wear it as a backpack when I go to work and use it as a tote bag after work to meet some friends in a more casual style.”

In addition to travelling Gaston Luga is suitable for everyday style. Co-founder Carl Sundqvist shares “I wear my Rullen Taupe almost every day. In the small inner pocket, I always have an ID and Sudio earphones. In the large compartment I have my lunchbox for the day, and my gym wear. When the weekend comes, I repack for travelling to my country house. I then exchange my gym wear for my everyday clothes, and in the laptop compartment, I put in my Mac and Kindle so I can work and read.”

Janet Kjellman, of Gaston Luga’s Marketing team, continues, “In my Spläsh 13” backpack, I usually carry with my 13” laptop, water bottle, thin jacket (since in Sweden the day and night temperature difference can be huge), a pair of indoor shoes (for gym) and some other stuff. I really love this backpack since it looks very fashionable and fits my daily outfit perfectly.”

Each model of backpack has their own name, the names are unique, the team explained they name their products with a creative and funny twist of Swedish language, for example the idea behind Rullen came from the Swedish word ‘rulla’ which means ‘to roll something’, as the key feature of the Rullen backpack is that you can extend the volume by unrolling the top.

Championing sustainability in fashion, Gaston Luga makes use of eco and animal friendly materials. “Gaston Luga backpacks and accessories are made of PU, nylon, or polyester, and we are seeking and developing sustainable alternatives constantly, our newly released products Rullen is made with DMF free waterborne PU, which is a great replacement for the regular PU. Tåte is made with waterborne PU and recycled polyester from post-consumer PET bottles, and Frukt plånkan is made with ‘apple leather’ which is a material made of disused apple skins. We make conscious decisions on material choice so you can carry your life effortlessly without harming the world you’re exploring. We will increase the use of recycled materials such as recycled polyester, recycled nylon, and recycled cotton. We believe that all the resources from mother earth are as precious as every individual. We believe that products are made to last and it’s part of our responsibility to extend the life cycle of materials in this industry.”

Being ethically responsible in a brand’s supply chain is more important than ever, Gaston Luga managed to partner with sustainable suppliers and is certified by the carbon-neutral organisation. They also donate a portion of their profits to the Escarpment Environment Conservation Network (Esconet). Together with Esconet, they are funding a program that plants indigenous trees in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. These trees help to preserve the natural ecosystem and provide much needed support to the local communities that depend on these forests for their livelihood. “We want to have a third-party giving input and “scoring” us on our efforts, it will make us better. The other day one of my colleagues turned off one of our fridges in the office – because it is easier for us now to understand the impact we have. Our products are cruelty-free, but not because of the carbon neutrality. We also impose a code of conduct on our suppliers, by a third party called Amfori.”

Gaston Luga have multiple collections with different styles conceived with both Scandinavian aesthetics and functionality in mind. They bridge the gap between practicality and fashion to create products that are inspired by current design trends. To ensure that consumers feel supported during their journey, they have an excellent customer service team that works closely with our suppliers to provide a repair or exchange service. Gaston Luga are also working on the next steps for the brand “We have some ongoing collaboration projects that will wow the world soon! And yes, we would love to collaborate with different talents that share our values, it would be cool to see Marine Serre’s moon pattern cover all over the Gaston Luga backpack one day! We are working more with our Apple-leather products, you might be able to see some news there coming soon. If someone told me a couple of years ago that you could make leather out of apples, I would have fallen off the chair! But we also have some very interesting cross collaborations going with other companies. Stay tuned via our Instagram @gastonluga or subscribe to our newsletter.”

Gaston Luga’s backpacks and accessories can be bought worldwide through their online store available and distributed in exclusive spots across Asia, Europe, UK and the US.