Iconic travel brand oddly scrubbed from internet, some get refunds

Both the website and the social media accounts have disappeared.

May 23, 2025 - 18:20

While less well-known than Samsonite and Tumi, luggage company Paravel quickly found a niche market after fashion insiders Indré Rockefeller and Andy Krantz founded it as a startup in 2015.

Known for its hardshell suitcases with the signature retro-style front stripe, the sustainable fashion brand quickly took off, given its founders' influence in the fashion space. It was quickly picked up by retailers like Nordstrom (JWN) and Bloomingdale's (M) while also getting promoted by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and listed in various trending new brand round-ups.

But after selling suitcases, packing cubes, and other pieces of luggage over the last 10 years, Paravel suddenly scrubbed its presence from the internet and apparently shut down operations — on May 16, a customer took to social media platform Reddit to describe an unsolicited refund she received on one part of a large order.

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'Multiple emails that the remainder of my orders were being refunded'

"They just ran their big summer sale, during which I bought myself a new suitcase and also purchased a monogrammed suitcase set for my niece who is going to college in August," a user with the first name Erin wrote on the r/travel forum. "I received one part of the order last week, but then last night got multiple emails that the remainder of my orders were being refunded. No explanation."

The customer also pointed out that the official tourparavel.com website has been shut down, with a pop-up saying that the company "apologize[s] for the technical difficulty" while the Instagram (META) for the luggage brand has also been scrubbed.

"I had three orders with them, and all were canceled," another user wrote under the Reddit post. "I have a vacation coming up. It’s so weird. And I have not been refunded yet. Just canceled."

*Paravel was founded in 2015 as a luggage startup.*
Image source: Shutterstock

Amid likely bankruptcy, retailers slash the prices of Paravel suitcases

As of May 23, all Paravel accounts are still down, while Krantz's last Instagram post on April 23 states that he would be stepping down as Paravel's CEO to "prioritize my health." Rockefeller has been making more recent posts from fashion events while not responding on the status of their luggage startup. Comments asking about Paravel also appear to be getting scrubbed from underneath the post.

Retailers like Amazon (AMZN) and luxury fashion platform Net-A-Porter currently have multiple suitcases and cases listed at 40% discounts. On the latter platform, the signature Aviator trunk is listed not for its former retail price of $673 but for $404. A canvas cosmetics case that was listed for $95 is now on sale for $57.

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Multiple customers have also described struggling to reach Paravel's customer service line for explanations and updates on current orders — some reported automatically receiving refunds, while others said they had not been able to get one.

"There's no customer service info anywhere; then I got a marketing email from them a few hours later albeit no links worked," the Reddit poster who initially drove attention to the situation wrote. "I assume that was scheduled, but I’ve never seen a brand just disappear like that. Anyone know what’s up?"