Herschel Lifestyle Backpacks S/S 2026 Preview
Retail Buyers Guide: Lifestyle Backpacks S/S 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Herschel
Interviewee: Adam Mansell, VP International
What trends are currently shaping the lifestyle backpack market (e.g., tech integration, modularity, minimalism)?
Our tech range is performing particularly well – such as our Kaslo Backpack Tech (2nd highest seller on our ecom in Q1 25) and Kaslo Daypack Tech. We are seeing strong sell through with some of our majors on this range including Selfridges and John Lewis where it regularly sells out. Our tech range keeps customers extremely organized – the Kaslo Backpack Tech is the perfect commute to travel bag – it features a host of compartments and pockets. The front compartment features organizers and pockets for pens, chargers, tablets and note books. Whilst the inside features a fleece lines 15” / 16” laptop sleeve, designed to keep your laptop safe as the pocket is suspended above the bottom of the bag, incase the bag gets dropped. The bag also has a luggage trolley sleeve, and dual mesh water bottle pocket, and a key clip so it’s easy to travel with. It features a custom, hidden sleeve, to store your Bluetooth tracking device incase your bag gets lost. It’s smart enough to take on your commute to work, but tech-y enough to allow for easy and organized travel. S1 26 Sees us introduce our Cloudform collection – our softest carry yet. It’s a lightweight, puffy, everyday bag. The duffle is a real highlight in this collection, it has our usual features and benefits – such as a 15” laptop sleeve, a luggage trolley sleeve, side storage sleeve and internal storage sleeve. This is the ultimate gym, to work to dinner bag. We introduced the cloudform range after seeing a gap in our range for a truly womens focused collection. When we were on a market visit in Asia at the start of the year we saw the ‘puffy’ lightweight silhouettes were a popular trend with the gen z consumer.
How do you see the role of lifestyle backpacks evolving in the context of hybrid work, travel, and everyday carry?
We are definitely seeing a demand for bags which can be used for multi-purposes. The Kaslo Tech backpack previously highlighted is the ultimate example of this – it’s a commuter to travel bag. Similarly – we forecast the Cloudform collection to do well within the womens sector – from gym, to work, to diner. It has minimalist branding giving it a more grown up feel. It’s super lightweight for when carrying more than just a laptop, and the multiple compartments make it perfect to separate how you use it throughout the day – from gym, to work, to dinner. Each part of your life can be kept separate in this bag.
What role does storytelling or brand lifestyle play in selling backpacks today?
It’s extremely important, when our business was founded there were very few lifestyle backpacks on the market – it was a predominantly sports driven category. However, with increasing competition it’s more important now than ever to ensure we are storytelling our brand in the right way to ensure our customer understands us. Everything we do is centered around travel, our tagline being ‘Life’s a trip’ – that could be travel around your local neighbourhood, or travel further afield. One thing for sure is that our customer is adventurous – they like to seek out interesting things to do when they are travelling – such as going to a local art show or coffee shop. They value this more highly than spending time at mass tourist locations. It’s about real, authentic travel.
How are retail channels (DTC, wholesale, e-commerce) shifting for lifestyle backpacks, and how is your brand adapting?
Our vision is to become a culturally connected lifestyle brand year-round, leveraging product segmentation to tailor our seasonal storytelling—from backpacks to ready-to-wear. We will also collaborate with leading global partners to amplify this message
How are global trade issues—such as tariffs, shipping costs, or customs regulations—impacting your lifestyle backpack business strategy and supply chain?
We are monitoring the situation closely, so far we’ve not had to increase prices throughout Europe
About the Brand:
What is your brand’s vision when it comes to lifestyle backpacks, and how does it reflect your overall identity?
Our vision is to be the most loved brand, in a world that never stands still. We are putting a real focus on product development and innovation. For our core range we updated our features and benefits to make it more relevant to the consumer compared to when the brand was founded – things like adding water bottle pockets or fleece lined laptop sleeves. These weren’t a priority for our customer when the brand was founded 15 years ago – but with the rise of hybrid working we found this has become increasingly more important. Our tech backpacks are a great example of how we have evolved – with more and more customers hybrid working abroad, these backpacks serve as a great work to travel bag. They are sleek enough to fit into a workplace setting, but organized enough for when travelling.
How do you integrate sustainability into your lifestyle backpack line — from sourcing to end-of-life?
Our focus is on quality first and foremost – we are so confident in our quality we offer a lifetime guarantee on all bags and luggage. Really, we want to ensure our product quality means we don’t end up in landfill. In addition, all of our backpacks are now made from 100% recycled water bottles.
How do you differentiate your lifestyle backpacks in terms of design, materials, or functionality? How do urban use and outdoor functionality influence your backpack designs?
We offer a diverse range of lifestyle products where fashion meets function. Every design serves a clear purpose, tailored to the needs of today’s modern consumer. This commitment to purposeful design extends to our outdoor line as well, where every detail is carefully considered to ensure peak performance without compromising on style
How are you segmenting your SS26 lifestyle backpack collection and what are the price points?
- Partnerships
- Weather Resistant & Nylon – premium
- Tech – premium
How will you be supporting retailers with the SS25 sales?
We have an exciting collaboration launching with the LEGO Group which will really help drive brand awareness in the market and reach a new customer (embargoed until 1st July). We are launching across a number of key retailers & within 15 LEGO flagships in Europe. In the UK, we are running windows in key doors, a bus campaign in London – focused on Oxford street area to hit our key retailers & Leicester square to capture the LEGO customer shopping at the flagship store. We are actively reaching out to retailers to supply them with printed POP, windows and freestanding banners. We always support our customers with regular staff training, VM props & visits & they have access to our media portal where we provide pre-sized window displays, POP and social assets. We always support accounts with any resize requests as well.
Key Products:
Kaslo backpack tech:
This was our second highest seller on our ecom channels in the first quarter of 2025. It features a convenient luggage trolley sleeve and pockets for in-flight essentials, along with three main compartments designed with organizers for well-packed journeys.
Kaslo backpack
Herschel Outdoors Equipment Ultralight backpack:
Engineered with Ultralight ripstop fabric and an intuitive design, this 22L daypack weighs just 12.3 ounces. It features a built-in hydration system, slip-resistant pull tabs and safety elements including reflective details, a removable waist strap and sternum strap equipped with a rescue whistle. Designed for efficiency on extended outdoor excursions, it includes a spacious main compartment and compresses for compact storage.
Ultralight backpack
For 2026: Cloudform duffle:
Our softest carry. The Cloudform Duffle is made with a minimalist design and padded, lightweight fabric. It offers external and internal storage sleeves and pockets to keep essentials organized. A padded sleeve secures your laptop, while a zippered trolley strap easily attaches to luggage for seamless travel. The perfect all rounder bag.
Cloudform duffle
Brand Previews
