While many companies embrace the “dispose and replace” model after one zipper break, LOJEL's suitcases are built from a system of modular, standardized parts that allow travelers to repair their own luggage easily and quickly (and on the go!), minimizing waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Simplifying the journey, you might say, with innovation and sustainability as the cornerstones of the brand's ethos. In order to honor Chiang's original mission to 'Let our journeys enrich life,' An Chieh and LOJEL's creative team identify the evolving challenges that travelers face and work to resolve them head-on.

In 2014, Chiang's grandson An Chieh took over the family business, working on the production floor, studying every aspect of the unique 'inside-out' design and manufacturing process. LOJEL suitcases are designed to repair, not replace. On the left, Cubo Small at right, Cubo Medium. His craftsmanship didn't go unnoticed, and in 1989 the luggage brand was born.

Frustrated by the one-size-fits all model in the luggage industry, he decided to fix the problem himself, racking up 43 passport stamps in 180 days to test his prototype: a hard-shelled roller bag with re-engineered zippers, handles, and internal stabilizers to find the ideal weight-to-durability ratio. At 21-years-old Chih Chang Chiang was busy making leather bags with a simple sewing machine and selling them at local markets in Japan. This suitcase's journey is one man's quest to create the perfect travel bags. And we agree.) But LOJEL has a distinct, feel-good edge: a promise that you'll never have to toss your suitcase again. Not another trendy luggage company that claims to be different but is exactly like every other millennial-targeting, full-of-hot-air 'disruptor' out there. Shouldn't there be a better travel solution somewhere in the universe? Universal travel logic for a universal travel problem. We all have one: a dusty, scratched, dented suitcase with one wheel falling off that we continue to drag through countless airport terminals because (a) we don't want to pay for a new one, (b) we don't want to add yet another could-be-mended product to landfill, even though (c) it's such a hassle to find a suitcase repair, especially considering that (d) the bag will just get thrown onto a conveyer belt by rough baggage handlers anyway, and (e) we'd rather spend our money on travel souvenirs or a flight upgrade.

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