What’s The Hartmann Luggage Story?

Hartmann luggage is known worldwide as a leader in the luggage industry. What is the heritage of this company that makes the finest quality luggage and leather products? How do they meet the ever-changing travel needs of our world today?

Hartmann Luggage’s Notable Beginning

The Hartmann luggage company was begun over 130 years ago, in 1887, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their founder was Joseph S. Hartmann, a Bavarian trunk maker. Their goal was to be seen as “the definitive American purveyor of stylish carrying bags” and they saw luggage as a fashion accessory. They made beautiful but functional trunks and pullmans for those traveling via steamship or railway, and smaller suitcases for travel on jets. They are known for having stylish design and fine materials, with quality American heritage and craftsmanship.

The Early 1900s

By 1905, the company grew large enough that it needed to move to larger accommodations, and they found these in Racine, Wisconsin.

In the early 1900s, primarily 1910 – 1920, there was a surge in railway travel. Travel was at an all-time high. The business was expanding at an ever-increasing rate. By the 1930s, the Hartmann luggage bag line included over 800 models, colors, and sizes. As commercial airlines took off, more routes were introduced and air travel grew. Hartmann luggage continued to be the luxurious, fashion-oriented pieces that wealthy air travelers wanted.

Product Changes: 1940s and 1950s

In 1939, the company changed its leather to get a product with more individuality and durability. A Canadian tannery was able to make a product that met those needs, and the product improved again.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Hartmann luggage made another dramatic change. After testing for a year, Hartmann began using lightweight, durable basswood for the frames, rather than the aluminum and steel they’d used previously. This material was actually an innovation that benefited the US military as well, because the quantities of aluminum and steel previously used in luggage frames could now be devoted to wartime purposes.

New Owners, New Home

During 1955, the Hartmann family sold their company to the Benjamin S. Katz family. This was the first of a few changes in ownership. A year later, 1956, a new manufacturing facility was opened in a high school gym in Lebanon, Tennessee. In 1959, these facilities were expanded and made permanent.


Jets And Designers Inspire Changes

America saw its first jetliner in the late 1950’s, which inspired the next collection for Hartmann luggage, the “707” collection. They are “ultra-light and sleek” and captured the market for air travelers.

In 1973, Hartmann luggage introduced the first three-piece luggage set. It was called the “747 Carry-ons” because they were designed specifically to fit the new overhead bins for storage on the new 747s. Prior to this, there were no overhead storage bins.

During the 70s and 80s, Hartmann was able to hire designers to attract more customers to the luggage based on their fashion appeal. Halston and Gloria Vanderbilt both contributed to the designs of the 1970s.

New Owners, New Partners, And A Celebration!

Nineteen eighty-three was a year of great change for the Hartman company. First, it was bought by Lenox, Inc. Later, Lenox was acquired by the Brown Forman Corporation.

In the late 1990s, the Hartmann luggage company found a new partner, the New York designers Lambertson Truex. They are their designers for this new century of business.

In 2002, Hartmann was featured with a window display of vintage products in Bloomingdale’s 59th Street in New York City. What was the occasion? Hartmann’s 125th Anniversary!