Work demands always kept long-term best friends Sarah DeMarco and Nickole Raymond traveling. So the music executive and sports agent maintained their friendship by meeting up in between work destinations.
“We used to meet up in airport lounges for lunch and commiserate over the lack of products for women who travel a lot,” says Raymond.
The executives-turned-startup-founders devised their own solution: the Porter bag, an all-in-one laptop carryall that includes a padded computer section, adjustable straps, and lip gloss and pen holder.
In between flights from New York, Miami, and elsewhere, Raymond and DeMarco managed to source materials in L.A., where DeMarco was working. But due to the lack of factories and resources in Southern California, the pair took a great leap forward, quit their day jobs, and started LDR Brands (read: leader) together in New York City.
The duo now sets out full-time to revolutionize the luggage market and ease the shoulder pain of businesswomen everywhere.
“When you’re launching a women’s accessory product line, there’s no city to do it other than NYC,” says Raymond. “And we’ve always known that we wanted to live here in the long-term,” adds DeMarco.
This past April, LDR Brands launched at WeWork Wall Street, where DeMarco and Raymond are still learning the ins and outs of running a startup.
“We learned from others who started their own businesses, who took on too much too soon,” says Raymond. “You learn a lot in the grassroots phase. And our careers in the past taught us not to do PR too early.”
Unlike Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, or any other luggage company that targets women, LDR tailors their products to the specific needs of businesswomen.
“We’re targeting the HENRYs (high-earners, not rich yet)—these young professional women on an upward mobility track,” Raymond explains. “This aspirational subset appreciates nice things and grows with brands. We’re concerned with giving these girls a solution.”
LDR’s mission is to give these women a professional bag that can be worn out of work as well.
“In the beginning of my professional career, I had to go on dates with a computer in my purse,” says DeMarco. “Now, with the Porter laptop bag, women can effortlessly transition from work to leisure.”
After several phases of hashing out their laptop bag design and adding on a monogram feature, the Porter went to pre-sale during the summer and is still in high demand. Now there’s even a demand for men’s luggage and tech accessories.
What will these ambitious friends tackle next?
After their Porter bag sale in January, DeMarco and Raymond plan to launch a full line of fashionable and functional luggage and accessory pieces for the modern businesswoman. The collection will include a backpack with a similar silhouette to the Porter, except it will also feature a “trap door” compartment in which wearers can store extra shoes or gym clothes.
Photo credit: Frank Mullaney