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| “We were designing durable lightweight luggage before airlines started charging for excess weight.” How Emran Sheikh of Heys International Ltd., started the curved luggage trend. | ||||
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Basketball
great Steve Nash has a gold-coloured one. Canadian comedian Russell
Peters has been photographed with his red one. The Canadian Olympic
curling team members have a matching set. Is it a bird, a
plane... it’s the world’s lightest carryon luggage, and it’s designed
right here in Mississauga by Heys International Ltd. Heys International, a luggage company that boasts to having “the world’s lightest carry-on”, is a great Canadian success story with an unlikely beginning. President and CEO of the family company Emran Sheikh says his mom’s hobby lead to the company being founded. “My Mum loved making silk flower arrangements; we had hundreds of them in our basement,” laughs Emran. “We decided to start selling them so we set up stalls at smaller shopping centres. My brother and I would go and help at the kiosks after school. Later we started selling patchwork handbags and then later, luggage sets. If it were not for Mum’s hobby, we wouldn’t be in business today. Her hobby forced us into the entrepreneurial spirit.” In 1986, Emran’s parents, Yahya and Raisa Sheikh founded Heys International Ltd. in Mississauga. After moving to Canada in 1974, Raisa worked in retail and Yahya worked in the financial department of the OPP for over 20 years; perfect experience to start a family business. Emran, who was just 16 when the company started, is now company President, in charge of the Canadian division, while older brother Haroon runs the U.S. division, based in Miami. Says proud papa Yahya; H stands for Haroon, E is for Emran, Y is for Yahya, my name, my son’s middle name and my wife’s middle name, S is for our last name. Emran’s wife Fariha, an interior designer, designed the distinctive company logo. “By 2003, the entire luggage market had stagnated and we had invested all of our funds into the company,” says Emran. “We developed hard side, lightweight luggage which was not the norm; it represented only one percent of the market share. But we felt strongly about our fun, fashion forward product. It was a huge risk, but the risk paid off.” In fact, 2003 was a stellar year for the company. Brothers Emran and Haroon thought of an ingenious way to launch the xcase. They arranged for the carryons to be part of the swag bag for celebrities attending The Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), The Genie Awards, plus at the Emmy Nominee Reception in Beverly Hills. “We received great reviews from the media and from celebrities who seemed to love the product,” says Emran. You may have noticed the billboards around Mississauga advertising a sleek black carryon with a giant orange Monarch butterfly on the front, or luggage with flags of the world. All are HEYS signature cases, designed in Mississauga. “We have made luggage a fashion accessory!” states Emran. The all- white board room is the perfect back drop to show luggage with designs like animal prints, lace patterns, retro prints, and of course, a myriad of solid coloured cases in various styles. “The design with the hummingbirds with the iridescent feathers was inspired by a documentary on hummingbirds I had seen on PBS,” says Emran. “The set with the brilliant blue Morph butterfly was designed especially for Sears Canada. For the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, we outfitted the Canadian Curling Team with our Canadian flag series. We had lots of suggestions from other countries as to what flags to use. It was one of our best selling collections ever.” Industrial designer Alden Evangelista, one of five in-house designers shows me their latest 3-piece luggage collection called Journey which has maps of the world front and back. Says Emran; “It was an idea from Sears that we developed. We contacted National Geographic to obtain the license for the maps. The cases are designed so that when you put the three luggage pieces together, they form the globe. In the design phase we have about 50 styles right now and in Canada. That’s huge.” The company also does custom work, such as the xcases they designed for the Toronto Film Festival using the TIFF logo. “We were designing durable, yet lightweight luggage BEFORE airlines started charging for excess weight,” says Emran. “We were ahead of the curve. The polycarbonate material we use in some of our designs has some of the same properties as used in making bullet proof glass. We are not saying our cases are bullet proof, but they are durable!” In 2008, this innovative Canadian company caught the attention of the Disney Corporation. “They had seen us at a Make a Wish Foundation charity event where we had designed 100 suitcases for children,” explained Emran. “Disney loved them and asked us to create a line of products for them. We made hard side luggage, designed low to the ground with small wheels which roll easily. They are very lightweight – about 3 ½ pounds each, and the handle can be reversed.” Talk about being a kid in a candy store! You’ll find “mini me” Tigger, Pooh, Princess and even Hannah Montana cases, plus other Disney themes. In a sea of black suitcases at the airport, you would never have to hunt for your case at the baggage carousel. And when envious travellers around the globe ask where you got your snazzy suitcase, you can proudly say, from HEYS – a Mississauga company! GL |
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