Thursday, February 11, 2010

Travelteq

Two years ago, Dutch entrepreneur Maarten van den Biggelaar gathered a team of friends to collaborate on the design and development of a new line of travel products. The result is a brand called Travelteq. Sophie van Bentum of the Travelteq team was kind enough to grant the following interview to Things Is Cool.
THINGS IS COOL: Where is the company's home base?
TRAVELTEQ: Amsterdam.

T.I.C.: Who is behind Travelteq?

TRAVELTEQ: The founder of Travelteq, Maarten van den Biggelaar, is a serial entrepreneur. He is mainly famous for founding the magazines Quote and Dutch Elle. His ventures vary from starting a restaurant to creating a whole new brand like Travelteq. He travels the world frequently and that is where his inspiration came from. After that he collected some friends to pursue this idea.
T.I.C.: When did the group first come together and what was the objective?

TRAVELTEQ: We started two years ago as a group of friends with the idea to create new, intelligent, elegant and timeless travel products. We’ve been live now for two months.
T.I.C.: What are Travelteq's guiding principles and creative vision?

TRAVELTEQ: In this decade, mobility has become a greater part of our every day life. The time we spend traveling has increased. We understand that time is our greatest luxury; therefore, we want to create more comfort and serenity for our fellow travelers during their journeys. Through our travel products and services, we want to inspire travelers to experience their time away from home as comfortably as they deserve.
It’s important to think along with our clients. This means that we design products that are genuine and qualitative. For us to understand our clients, we have to remain in open contact and communication. We listen to our travelers and learn from their journeys to create the best products. This is also why we offer a blog [through the Travelteq website]. We want to share information about our great travel secrets. We are currently working on a new blog, the best travel blog we can make.
We as a luxury goods company believe luxury is not a status in society; luxury is to encounter the feeling of freedom.
T.I.C.: As far as product is concerned, where did you begin?

TRAVELTEQ: Our first product is the “Trash” (regularly €495, current sale price €365), a unique laptop bag with classic design and innovative compartments. Each bag is individually made by hand in Italy of the finest Florentine Vacchetta leather with a high-quality, water-resistant nylon lining. It features eight compartments (inside and out), three of which are zipped, and it can store up to a 15-inch laptop in the main shock-resistant compartment. There is an outside leather strap for trolley attachment. And it comes in a variety of colors. (Note: Pictures of the “Trash” are attached.)
T.I.C.: What does the future hold for Travelteq? Can you offer more detail about forthcoming products?

TRAVELTEQ: It’s our goal to slowly add new products to our collection. In May 2010, we will come out with the “Trip,” the first intelligent carry-on suitcase. It is a remarkable case with features travelers have never seen before. It has been in development for two years with three of our team members, two industrial designers and one engineer, working 24/7 on the project. And in June, we will release our weekend bag. However, our goal is to create the best travel gear, so also think of things like the best bike or travel clothing.
T.I.C.: Can you give any hints about the details of the "Trip" suitcase?
TRAVELTEQ: One of the main features of the “Trip” is that it transforms into a comfortable chair without losing luggage space. Imagine never having to stand in the middle of an angry, fed up crowd waiting for a delayed plane.
T.I.C.: Where can readers acquire Travelteq products?
TRAVELTEQ: At the moment, our products are only available through our website: www.travelteq.com.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great post-really informative. Love the bag with a banana yellow pocket!