Away names DJ John Summit its Chief Destruction Officer after he set fire to his broken Rimowa suitcase

Key Takeaways

• Away has named DJ and producer John Summit its Chief Destruction Officer, months after he filmed himself setting fire to a broken Rimowa suitcase.

• Summit puts Away's Aluminum collection through drop, impact and fire stunts in films shot over one night in Miami.

• The partnership launched on 20 October 2026 alongside new Aluminum colourways, in what Away calls the biggest update to the line since 2020.

• A special edition co-branded Away Stadium Bag is sold through Summit's merch shop during his CTRL ESCAPE tour of the US.

Away has turned one of the year's most memorable luggage complaints into a brand partnership. The DJ and producer John Summit went viral earlier this year after filming himself setting fire to his Rimowa suitcase when it broke on tour, and Away has now named him its Chief Destruction Officer, handing him its own aluminium cases and an open invitation to do his worst.

The original clip included his Rimowa suitcase (named Samantha), the footage was set to Justin Bieber's "Sorry", and Summit captioned it "end of an era", which gave a piece of furious luggage destruction the tone of a break up video. Away saw the moment for what it was: a public frustration with a direct competitor in its own category, and answered it by setting fire to one of its own suitcases.

What followed is a campaign built on that exchange, the role launched on 20 October 2026 with a run of short films in which Summit drops, drives into and torches Away luggage, timed to the biggest update to the brand's Aluminum collection in six years, so the stunt doubles as a very loud product demonstration.

Away answered John Summit's burning Rimowa by setting fire to its own Aluminum suitcase on social media

Summit had good reason to be cross, since B&T reports that it was the sixth suitcase to break on him while touring, and the video spread quickly enough for Barstool Sports to cover it in May. Away's response was fast and very on brand, as the company set one of its own aluminium suitcases on fire and posted the clip with the caption "Heard we were setting aluminum luggage on fire", and, as People Brands and Things put it, the case came out without a scratch.

Quynh Dang, VP of Brand at Away, told People Brands and Things that the reply was rooted in content the brand had already been making. "Even before this viral moment took place, we had already spent months sharing our own 'destruction-style' content focused on durability across our social channels," she said. Away met Summit's team that same week, and Dang explained that both sides wanted something with a longer life than a reactive post. "We agreed that our partnership shouldn't be a one-off, performative post with short-lived impact," she said.

By giving Summit a formal role, Away turns a single viral exchange into a recurring character that can return across the brand's channels, and Dang described the title as "a playful tribute to his active role as a co-creator."

Philip R. Lopez and Cara Scott direct John Summit's drop, impact and fire tests for Away's Aluminum collection

The films were directed by the duo Philip R. Lopez and Cara Scott under Matt Wright, Away's VP of Creative, and were shot in one wild night in Miami with three of Summit's friends along for the ride. According to Dang's interview with People Brands and Things, the stunts include drop tests, a car drifting into a suitcase and, inevitably, fire, while the look borrows from Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, The Hangover and early Jackass.

Dang explained that the lab work covers mileage and endurance, drop and impact, and extreme temperatures, so Summit's version is the same checklist performed with considerably more smoke. On the Aluminum collection page on Away's site, a Meet our Chief Destruction Officer section splits his work into Impact, Fire and Endurance tests under the disclaimer "Professional Destruction Officer. Dramatized. Do not attempt.", while the range itself runs from a $625 Aluminum Carry-On to a $745 Large, with new Bronze and Arctic Steel finishes alongside Silver, Rose Gold and Onyx Black.

To make the partnership physical, they've created a special edition co-branded Away Stadium Bag that's available through Summit's merch shop while he tours the US on his CTRL ESCAPE tour, putting the brand in front of fans at his shows, and Dang has hinted that more moments with Summit are still to come. Famous faces have helped sell Away luggage before, including a limited run of matte black aluminium suitcases with Dwyane Wade in June 2018 and Serena Williams's collections in February 2020 and January 2021.