Port Designs: Laptop bags expand into device accessories

PORT Designs was founded in 1992 by a leatherworker from Strasbourg, France, initially applying luggage-making skills to portable technology.

Laptop and video-camera carrying cases were the natural first market as computers became mobile enough to leave the office but still needed substantial physical protection.

Laptop bags expand into device accessories

A change in shareholders and management in 2003 accelerated expansion, and PORT broadened from bags into tablet cases and technology accessories under PORT Designs and PORT Connect.

Its engineering is rooted in protection and mobility: material selection, compartment design, impact resistance, weight distribution and ergonomics are the technical constraints around the electronics rather than inside them.

Port Designs today

PORT now distributes laptop bags, backpacks, trolleys, folios and device accessories in more than 60 countries.

The company’s history shows a non-electronic part of the technology ecosystem evolving with device form factors. As laptops became thinner and tablets appeared, the carrying and protection problem changed with them.