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PUSHING THE ENVELOPE Bugaboo


BUGABOO MAY BE renowned for its high-end strollers but, for designer and founder Max Barenbrug, buggies have only ever been one part of his vision. “We are a mobility brand,” he says. “We are first and foremost about mobility and performance. And we want to have a relationship with the consumer that lasts longer than the four years that someone’s child needs a stroller.” Now, that vision has become reality with the


launch of the Dutch company’s latest innovation, the Bugaboo Boxer, which aims to make people think again about suitcases. Bugaboo Boxer is a revolutionary luggage system made up of interlocking bags and cases that create an ergonomic, easy-to-manoeuvre system. Bugaboo (literal meaning: “tiny, teasing ghost”)


started life as Max’s 1994 graduation project, to redesign the stroller. Noticing that parents were struggling with their buggies and bicycles and kit – and that existing strollers were ugly, cheap-looking and not very functional – he set out to design something that not only looked good but was also adaptable and could perform well in all manner of environments, including beach and mountain. Received with great acclaim and press


attention, the original Bugaboo hit the market in 1999. Since then, with the launch of several new models, including the Bugaboo Cameleon and the Bugaboo Bee, and collaborations with designers including Marc Jacobs, Diesel and Missoni, Bugaboo has been consistently rated as the best pushchair brand by consumers and reviewers for its versatility, beauty and user functionality. Bugaboo strollers are also popular with


celebrities, from actual royalty – both the Dutch Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge have


purchased strollers – to pop royalty. “We got a phone call from our retailer in Los Angeles,” Max recalls. “She was literally shouting down the phone with excitement: ‘Madonna is here and she’s buying a Bugaboo!’ It was really funny.” For Max, inspiration comes “from the stomach,


not from the brain”. “I don’t look at what competitors are doing,” he says. “I look on the street, at what’s needed, and I always do my own thing. When a design is right, my heart, brain and stomach all say it’s good.” With his design for the Bugaboo Boxer, Max has


reinvented the wheel – or rather four wheels – once again. “Luggage is a boring market, like the stroller market was when we started,” he says. “It’s just plastic pieces with wheels. The Bugaboo Boxer is about performance and manoeuvrability and modularity: it pushes like a stroller in front of you, instead of being dragged behind you, and you can control the steering. You don’t need to bring a separate laptop bag or day bag – they are all integrated into the system.” Aimed at families and business travellers, the


Bugaboo Boxer launched in September 2016 on the company’s website, in Bugaboo brandstores in Amsterdam and Berlin, and at pop-up shops in London and New York. Customers can choose the colour and configuration they desire. A system including chassis, case and cabin case with inner bag costs around £1,140. The future for Bugaboo looks exciting. “We now


have a stroller and a luggage business, and we’re going to continue to work on new designs and models and to improve our products,” says Max. “There is also a third business area that we’re working on, but I can’t tell you anything about it. All I can say is that it’s going to have wheels. It will be revealed in two years.” — www.bugaboo.com


THE GLOBETROTTER 387


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