La Crème De La Crème The Darlings Of The Decade!

The CEO and Founder of The TravelPlus Awards, Simon Ward, reveals his top ten amenity kits of the decade!

This year the TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Awards reached a new decade, and the din of anticipation is deafening. To mark the 10-year milestone, TravelPlus awarded two onetime accolades during their presentation. The Airline of the Decade went to Qatar Airlines, and the Supplier of the Decade was awarded to Formia. These awards were to mark continued excellence over the last 10 years.

In continuation of the theme of excellence, TravelPlus CEO and Founder, Simon took a look back at his favourite kits from the last decade, and so, without further ado, we present to you The Darlings of the Decade!

THE FIRST FABULOUS FIVE…

BRITISH AIRWAYS, supplied by Watermark, Winner of GOLD 2010

Kicking things off, a ‘must’ to mention for the awards Founder, is BA’s 2010 award-winning Anya Hindmarch amenity kit gifted to First Class passengers. A true English gent through and through, Simon felt, “the brand alignment was spot on, combining a celebrated British CBE designer, with a hint of nostalgia in featuring the original ‘To Fly To Serve’ coat of arms seen on British Airway’s aircraft livery between 1984-1997.” The kit design was inspired by the fabulous Anya Hindmarch Gladstone style bag, made from luxurious leather and treated guests to a range of REN skincare products.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS, supplied by Watermark, Winner of GOLD 2012

Etihad’s cufflink inspired box made from soft leather with a jewel-toned lining exuded luxury and unsurprisingly took home Gold thanks to its thoughtful detail in design and functionality. After all, every First Class gentleman must always take care of their cufflinks, yes? For Simon, Etihad’s precision in personalisation and creating a kit that could be re-used and therefore a reminder of the airline’s hospitality was, “top-notch and inspired the industry to start thinking more laterally about their offerings onboard.” Inside guests were spoilt with a range of La Prairie toiletries and a quality Schick razor for those brave enough to shave at 30,000 feet.

AIR FRANCE, supplied by Albea Travel Designer, Winner of GOLD 2014

Air France overwhelmed the industry with their 2014 Givenchy offering, acting as inspiration for fellow airlines to place more emphasis on delivering First Class gifts rather than kits. For many including Simon, It remains to this day the epitome of First Class luxury and, “set the standard above and beyond for future generations of First Class unisex kits.” As Simon says, “this kit was sleek, chic and lavished guests with luxury. It will remain an unforgettable kit amongst industry professionals.” The unique unisex amenity was elegantly designed in collaboration with Givenchy and contained four Givenchy care premium cosmetics with all other flight essentials provided on demand.

LUFTHANSA supplied by SPIRIANT, Winner of GOLD 2016

Working closely with Danish industrial designer, Jacob Jensen, Lufthansa presented this stylish, thoughtful kit which conceptualised time with a two-tone classic grey printed circle symbolic of a journey across time-zones. For Simon, this was, “an effortless brand collaboration that enhanced the sentimentality and wonder of air travel whilst subtly promoting Jacob Jenson’s infamous design and brand ethos.” Offered in hard and soft option, the kits also included a Jacob Jensen book on design, as well as cosmetics from La Prairie.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES supplied by FORMIA, Winner of GOLD 2017

After a clean sweep at the 2017 awards winning all First Class categories, it’s no surprise Singapore’s Lalique branded offering has made Simon’s top ten as he recalls, “the resounding sharp intake of breath when people saw this kit at the awards, is testament enough to its star quality.” The level of detail and thought put into both the design and content of each kit could not be more committed to making Singapore’s First Class guests feel valued and lavished upon. Simon adds that “being the ultimate symbol of French luxury, the Lalique kits are beautiful in their own right, add into the mix the generous gifts inside and it’s no question this is a five-star offering.” The female cosmetic case was offered in a pebble-textured pink and black design and contained a range of L’AMOUR LALIQUE cosmetics in an elegant satin drawstring bag. The Gents kit was designed in the classic style physicians bag and contained the best in travel size products from LALIQUE’s Encre Noire line. The unisex design was a black leather cosmetic case and included a Neroli scented candle, Neroli hand soap, and Neroli cosmetics; a great fragrance for both men and women to enjoy.

THE FINAL FETCHING FIVE…

QANTAS AIRWAYS supplied by BUZZ, Winner of Gold 2017, celebrated the ‘Spirit of Australia’ in their Qantas curates range and featured artwork of leading Australian artists, photographers and digital influencers to comprise a brightly coloured range of flying art.

KLM supplied by Helios MPPD, Winner of GOLD 2011 , took high-fashion to the skies. Partnering Viktor & Rolf, the dutch fashion house which specialises in creating conceptual and avant-garde designs, KLM’s offering was sleek, chic and sophisticated. It was this partnership that opened up the market to explore more adventurous brands.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS supplied by WESSCO International, Winner of GOLD 2013, partnered with Sougha, an initiative by Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development which works to preserve Emirati culture through the showcasing of local artists. The combination of luxury cosmetics combined with the airline’s cultural identity made for a memorable keepsake.

THAI AIRWAYS supplied by FORMIA, Winner of Gold 2011 , became the market leader in taking inspiration from a hard case suitcase design with Rimowa’s infamous polycarbonate shell collection. Other suitcase brands now seen onboard global airlines in a bid to replicate Thai Airways innovative kit include Samsonite, Brics, Globetrotter, Porsche etc.

QATAR AIRWAYS supplied by FORMIA, Winner of GOLD 2016, drew inspiration from Thai’s hard case Rimowa kit adding a boutique Italian twist partnering with suitcase brand Bric’s and cosmetic brand Castello Monte Vibiano. By partnering with familyrun businesses this made the product more exclusive and personal and set the trend for discovering more artisan independent businesses to go onboard.