Kirsty Glenne on Paravel’s comeback, from bankruptcy to relaunch

Paravel is back. The American travel brand, which filed for bankruptcy in May 2025 and was bought by ATR Group, relaunched on October 8 with a tight edit of its best-known pieces, including the Aviator suitcase and Signature Canvas Tote. “What we saw was a brand with genuine consumer love, recognition, and demand that had never gone away,” Kirsty Glenne, global CEO of ATR Group, told FashionUnited.

ATR Group was the highest bidder for Paravel’s assets. Glenne said customers kept talking about the brand while it was in administration, “including customers actively looking for where they could still purchase Paravel.” For the group, the deal was a chance “to take an established American brand with authentic equity and give it the infrastructure, capital investment, and global reach” it needed.

From 20 million dollars to a group growth driver

Before filing, Paravel generated approximately 20 million dollars in annual revenue, mainly in the US, Glenne said. ATR Group, which also owns British luggage brand Antler and Australian label Nere, has set a target of more than 100 million pounds in group sales by 2029.

“By integrating Paravel into the ATR House of Brands portfolio, we immediately unlock shared supply chain efficiencies, centralized warehousing, global logistics, and expanded trade networks,” Glenne said. “This infrastructure positions Paravel to recover and surpass its historic scale efficiently, serving as a vital growth driver toward our group target.”

ATR Group did not change the brand’s look. “We saw no need to reinvent the aesthetic foundations that made Paravel iconic,” Glenne said. “Our strategy was to preserve what loyalists loved while elevating the technical construction and material rigor.”

The new Aviator uses 70 percent certified, traceable post-consumer recycled polycarbonate. Its wheel assemblies can be repaired individually, and every suitcase goes through a 40-point quality and durability test. The relaunch collection is priced from 45 to 595 dollars, and its colour palette draws on the New England coast.

Rebuilding a brand once its founders had left meant focusing on its design codes. “The brand’s spirit transcends any single era or individual,” Glenne said. “We were deliberate in honoring those foundational design codes - from the signature canvas silhouettes to the Northeast coastal sensibility - and the personal connection the brand had built with its customers.”

Paravel’s sustainability credentials took a hit during the bankruptcy. “Paravel’s previous B Corp and Climate Label certifications lapsed during administration, and we are committed to pursuing recertification as the brand grows,” Glenne said.

All Aviator materials are fully traceable through the brand’s Indonesian supply chain, and the Signature Canvas Tote is made from BCI-certified cotton. “For us, sustainability has to go beyond a certification,” Glenne said. “It is about traceability, material choice, durability and repairability across the product lifecycle.”

Starting narrow

The relaunch range is deliberately small: the Aviator in four sizes, the tote, packing cubes and a luggage tag. “Leveraging historical performance data allowed us to prioritize the hero styles that resonated most strongly with customers,” Glenne said. “Expanded colorways and new architectural silhouettes are already in development for 2027, but our growth will remain deliberate and purpose-driven.”

Over the next year, Glenne said, success will mean “sustainable, profitable growth, re-establishing brand authority in the U.S., and initiating our international rollout.”

“Most importantly, success means our core audience recognizes that the Paravel they loved has returned and is now backed by superior craftsmanship, elevated materials, and permanent longevity,” she said.