Anyone who’s ever traveled with a small child in tow can relate to the challenge that designer Margherita Maccapani Missoni faced during a recent trip with her own family. After a long airport delay, the designer realized how “a little backpack would have made traveling with my son, Otto, much easier.” From there, this founder of kidswear collection Margherita Kids began creating her designs.
Missoni envisioned a carryall with enough space for “Otto’s books and toy airplane, and an exterior pocket to store the nuts and fruits that he eats like a little squirrel.” The result is a lightweight children’s backpack that keeps the fun in travel by efficiently stowing everything your little one might need to stave off hunger and boredom. The limited edition design is available exclusively through The Luxury Collection Store.
A Shared Sense of Adventure
“I have always loved to travel,” Missoni says. “I find that it is a great way to connect as a family—we can share our favorite destinations with our sons and discover new ones together.”
Playing off of the sense of cultural discovery and personal independence that travel fosters, the imagery immerses children travelers in the wonders of a foreign world, while encouraging them to pack, carry and organize their own things.
Inspired by her family’s vacation to the Algarve’s oceanfront Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection resort, the design features a lively design of marine-hued indigo, coral and turquoise fish. The fish sport bold patterns reminiscent of those found on traditional Portuguese tiles (azulejos), as they swim across the backpack’s surface.
The Importance of Place
For Missoni, cultural motifs are always key. An earlier edition of her backpack, for example, featured fanciful interpretations of the animals housed at Vienna’s historic Schonbrunn Zoo, a nod to an experience she shared with Otto while staying at Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Vienna and Hotel Imperial, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Vienna.
But she doesn’t neglect the practical, either. Trimmed in red and constructed in polyester, the backpack features a top handle and two sturdy and adjustable straps. Its readily accessible transparent front pocket offers a perfect hideaway for treats and snacks, while two side mesh pockets are ideal for carrying water and soft drinks. A simple zipper allows kids to effortlessly reach into the main storage area, which is lined in a bold canary yellow.
“While it can definitely be more complicated to travel with children, I think it’s important for them to have a healthy sense of adventure and I believe that traveling is always possible if you just put some planning into action,” she says.”