It’s Time to Accessorize

Princeton, New Jersey — “It pays to accessorize.” It’s a fashion truism as old as the handbag. But accessorizing is no longer purely about fashion — it’s become essential for our modern lifestyle.

“Accessories are the crossover items of the travel goods industry,” explains Michele Marini Pittenger, president of the Travel Goods Association. “Luggage is something you use while traveling, but accessories like cell phone holsters, laptop carrier inserts, iPod caddies and PDA holders have become everyday items. We’re increasingly on-the-go, and travel accessories have become essential for organizing our on-the-go lives.”

The July/August issue of Travel Goods Showcase highlights current trends in the accessories market, putting the spotlight on the small items that power the travel goods industry. Featured items include:

• Women’s bags that serve double duty, sensible business carryalls by day that morph into fun, lightweight totes for post-work fun.
• Messenger bags — the new “It” item. Part fashion statement, part downtown icon, the messenger bag has grown up from its bike messenger roots to become the must-have carryall.
• Portable power for laptops, iPods, personal DVD players and cell phones.
• Suggestive selling accessories — how to help travelers accessorize for business, campus or vacations so they’re prepared and organized.

“The accessories segment is going to continue to grow,“ Pittenger says. “The trend is for us to carry more. Ten years ago, I’d board a plane with my handbag and a paperback. Today I’d be taking a laptop computer, PDA, cell phone and iPod. And a much larger handbag. It’s actually not very different from what I carry back and forth to work, and I think that’s true for all of us. We&rsqo;re simply taking more with us.“

Consumers spent a record $19.2 billion on travel goods in 2005, with the bulk of those dollars going toward accessories and other small, everyday items. And that trend is going to continue.

To learn more about this year’s hot travel accessories, you’ll have to see the July/August issue of Travel Goods Showcase. Media representatives should contact John Misiano at the Travel Goods Association, 609-720-1200, x-205, john@travel-goods.org to receive a copy of this special issue.

Travel Goods Showcase is published bimonthly by the Travel Goods Association, the voice of the travel goods industry. TGA is a national trade organization representing manufacturers, distributors and retailers of luggage, leather goods, business and travel accessories, business and computer cases, handbags, and other products for people who travel. For additional information about the association, please visit www.travel-goods.org.