So, I kept bumping into mentions of this brand, Harper Collective. Their luggage caught my eye – looked pretty slick, but also seemed to be about using recycled stuff. Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me. Who’s actually behind this thing? I like knowing the story behind products sometimes, you know?
I started poking around online. Didn’t go super deep, just some basic searches while having my morning coffee. You type in “harper collective owner,” “who started harper collective,” that sort of thing. Sometimes you get ads, sometimes you get actual info. Took a few clicks here and there.
Digging into Who’s Behind It
Okay, so after a bit of digital legwork, I started seeing a couple of names pop up consistently. It wasn’t just some faceless corporation, which was interesting.
First name that came up was Jaden Smith. Yeah, that Jaden Smith. Actor, musician, Will Smith’s son. Apparently, he’s really involved in environmental causes. That part made sense with the whole recycled sea plastic thing they talk about using for their luggage. It clicked right away – celebrity backing plus an eco-friendly mission.
But it wasn’t just him. There’s another key person: Sebastian Manes. This name wasn’t as familiar to me personally, but the info I found painted him as a seasoned pro in the business world. Seems he spent a long time, like nearly two decades, as a big-time buyer and merchandiser at Selfridges. That’s some serious experience in knowing what people want and how to sell it.
Putting it Together
So, the picture I got was this:
- Jaden Smith: Brings the name recognition, the activism angle, probably connects with a certain crowd.
- Sebastian Manes: Brings the deep retail and business knowledge, the experience to actually build and run the company.
It actually sounds like a pretty smart combo. You’ve got the vision and the buzz from one side, and the practical know-how from the other. They’re taking plastic waste, stuff that’s literally trash floating in the ocean or used bottles, and using some tech to turn it into luggage that looks quite durable and distinct.
That was my little discovery process. Started with seeing the product, got curious, did some searching, and found out it’s this partnership between a known celebrity activist and a seasoned retail expert. Always kind of neat to pull back the curtain a bit on who is making the things we see.
