The Initial Thing: Monogrammed Travel Goods from Nomad Cph

The monogram is back, folks! Formerly beloved by the very preppy (remember that L.L. Bean tote bag?) or the very wealthy (I once babysat for a family that had monogrammed hand towels and my 14 year old mind was blown), the practice has made a comeback as a way to stylishly personalise everything from bags to mobile phone cases.

Nomad Cph makes monogrammed travel items, from totes to dop kits, that makes regular travel a little more luxurious and personal. Their high-quality products are both useful and beautiful (our favorite!). Launched by Danish designer Anne-Sophie Brandt in 2018, the brand is only at the beginning of their journey.

We spoke with founder Anne-Sophie about Nomad Cph and what makes a good travel item:

Tell us about the inspiration for Nomad Cph

I was standing in the airport waiting for my luggage – a black suitcase just like everyone else. For as long as I remember, I have always dreamed about owning a Louis Vuitton suitcase. I love to travel and find unique places around the world; I also love to showcase my style and personality.

Of course I would pack my favorite clothes and accessories, but I didn’t have really nice travel bags. So I began to think about making travel bags and travel items with a personal touch. Good quality and a simple Nordic aesthetic, but with an international twist, where each product would have a special detail or contrast.
Most importantly, I wanted these items to be at a mid-range price level, so you don’t have to wait a lifetime to afford them.

My goal is to inspire people to go explore the world with Nomad products. Each week I do a “Travel Secret” on the website, writing about a unique and special place to visit. It can be a bar, a restaurant, a hotel; anything that has something special about it.

The first collection is small travel items including a shopper, wash bag, clutch, and shoe bag. In the future I hope to launch a suitcase and other travel products such as towels, robes, small bottles of soap, and so on. Nomad should not only be about the products, but also the travel universe around it.

When did you start Nomad? What was the process of starting your company like?

I quite my job as Head of Design for a large Danish interior company in November 2018 because I wanted to do something by myself. I used the first five months to search for the perfect idea. I knew Nomad was my calling because it combines two of my favorite things: design and travel. Creating the designs and the brand took about six months and I finally launched the first collection at the end of November 2018.

Tell us about your sourcing and production practices. Get into specifics and different parts of your supply chain; where do you get leather, plastic, etc? Can you talk about why you use plastic?

Good quality is important for me. I think it should be possible to buy great quality for a reasonable price. Therefore I chose a Spanish leather manufacturer. It is placed in a small Spanish village in south of Spain. The handmade leather bags are fantastic! It is so important to have a relationship and strong sense of trust with your suppliers.

For the plastic and nylon I work with a few different suppliers in Asia because of the high level of quality and my good relationship with the manufacturers. I chose to work with plastic because I felt driven by the contrasts between the three materials – plastic, leather and nylon. The quality of the plastic is very high, so it will last for many years.

What are the characteristics of a good travel item?

It should be practical but still aesthetically pleasing. The Nomad Cph signature is contrasts: colors, details, lining. It should be a simple product with a strong focus on the details, because that’s what makes it special for the traveler.

Why was monogramming so important to your brand? What does it represent to you?

Monogramming makes the product personal. I want to inspire people to show their personal style through the things they use while traveling.

How should a person using a Nomad product feel?

Unique and special. No one has exactly the same bag, because your bag has your initials on it!

What is your perception of Scandinavian style or aesthetic?

I love the Scandinavian style – for me, less is more. But it’s important for me to add a twist to the typical Nordic style, which is why the contrasting colors and materials are so essential to the brand.