Away Travel's Brand Crisis: What Happens When Company Culture Becomes the Story

Note: This is a hypothetical brand study. It uses only public facts. Away Travel is not a TTGC client. Here we share how TTGC sees the brand and marketing chances that anyone can spot in public.

Away Travel brand crisis culture strategy is a case study each DTC brand founder should read. Away began in 2016 with a simple, powerful idea. Luggage does not have to feel plain. It can feel aspirational. The brand won a loyal crowd. Its best seller was a carry-on with a built-in battery charger. Its content was about the feeling of travel, not the specs of the bag. By 2019, Away had raised over $156 million in venture funding, and was valued at $1.4 billion.

Then December 2019 came. The Verge ran a report drawn from what 14 former staff said. They told of a toxic culture inside Away. The story had screen shots of public Slack notes. In them, co-founder and CEO Steph Korey named and faulted employees, in channels other staff could read. The report told of excessive hours, and of pressure not to take time off. Former staff said the place was hostile to LGBTQ employees and people of color. Korey stepped down days after publication. She came back as CEO soon after, then left for good in early 2020. Lululemon COO Stuart Haselden took over as CEO.

What Away Gets Right

Away built a truly strong consumer brand before the crisis. The product design was good. The carry-on had a hard shell, a built-in USB charger, and a 100-day trial. That turned a plain product into a real choice. The brand voice was sure and travel-first, but never smug. Away also ran a print magazine and podcast called "Here." That made Away a travel culture brand, not just a luggage company.

That identity worked. Away hit $125 million in revenue. Its core product had loyal, eager fans. "Away luggage" had strong branded search volume. The dream the brand built around the carry-on made a real bond with buyers. Most luggage brands never get that.

The product itself was never the problem. It still isn't.

The Gap

What came after the December 2019 Verge report is public, and we can learn from it. The brand went quiet. It made no lasting, public commitment to fix the culture the story described. It did not raise up new voices, and it did not invest in open communication that might win back trust. Away just held steady. The product stayed good and the visual design stayed on brand. But silence took the place of the emotional story that had made Away so easy to love.

You can see it in the content. "Away luggage review" results show mixed sentiment. That tracks the 2019 coverage and has not fully recovered. The brand's social feeds no longer show the same editorial drive as the early years. Reports say Away has explored its options, and that may include a sale. So the path from dream brand to category leader stalled.

The crisis showed a weak spot that many founder-led brands share. When the founder sits at the heart of the brand story, a story about them is a story about the brand. Away had built real cultural equity. It came from the founding story, its two women co-founders, and its aspirational workplace. The Verge report made life inside Away the story. The brand had no credible reply ready.

What TTGC Would Do

To rehabilitate a brand after a culture story, you need a clear playbook. The urge to go quiet makes sense, but it rarely works. Silence does not make the search results go away. It just means the brand has no voice in the conversation about itself.

Own the leadership chapter, but do not make it the story. A brand rehabilitation strategy does not need a press tour of apologies. It needs a clear public statement on who the company is now. Say what changed inside, and what the brand stands for from here. Keep it brief and specific, then never bring it up again in the marketing. The goal is to close the chapter, not to keep reopening it.

Rebuild the aspirational travel identity with new voices. Away's best brand content was never about its founders. It was about travelers, places, and the feeling of being somewhere new. That plan is still open. The brand should build a community of real travelers. Let them speak for the product through their own trips. This kind of content is safe from founder drama, since the founder is not in it.

Let the product and the community carry the brand. The carry-on is truly good, and long-term buyers say so. The 100-day trial is still a strong edge. Put the quality of the bag and the love of the fans front and center. That does the work founder-led branding used to do, with far less risk. Third-party reviews, honest comparison content, and buyer stories are the way back.

FAQ

Q: What exactly happened at Away Travel in 2019?

A: The Verge ran a report on December 5, 2019, drawn from what 14 former employees said. It had screen shots of public Slack notes from CEO Steph Korey, who named and faulted employees. The report told of excessive hours, and of pressure not to take time off. Staff said the place was hostile to LGBTQ employees and people of color. Korey stepped down within days of the report's publication.

Q: Is Away Travel still in business?

A: Yes. Away Travel still operates as of mid-2026. The brand keeps selling luggage and adding new products. But reports as recent as 2023 said the company was exploring options, and that may include a sale. So the way back to its peak $1.4 billion valuation looks hard.

Q: How should a DTC brand handle a founder-related PR crisis?

A: Research points to three parts. First, own it in clear, specific words, and do not over-explain. Second, change how the company behaves, in ways the public can verify. Third, move the brand story fast toward product, community, and mission, not the boss. Sustained silence rarely works as a way back. It hands the search results to the crisis coverage.

Your brand should survive any news cycle. TTGC works with growth-stage brands. We build brands that are tough and fan-led. They are not tied to one founder's public image. Start with a free growth assessment at ttgcreatives.com/growth-assessment (https://ttgcreatives.com/growth-assessment).