Hulken was once a sign of success for entrepreneurs. Now, it's coming for travelers — just don't call it a suitcase.

• Hulken bags have become a status symbol among Gen Z and entrepreneurs.
• After the brand expanded into travel, its founder said there are plans for new materials and partnerships.
• Still, Hulken faces challenges from tariffs and supply disruptions in its growth plans.

If you've been out and about in New York City, chances are you've seen a Hulken.

The boxy, tote-on-wheels bags have quickly become the modern, sexier version of a granny shopping cart. Gen Z has embraced the bags — which range in color from trendy chocolate browns to spunky pinks and are made of a durable, water-resistant plastic — as the new hot way to schlep more chic-ly.

I have to admit that I did not have such a fond first experience with the bags after receiving a large one at a 2024 event. It was the biggest goodie bag I'd ever received, and it completely overwhelmed me. I did not realize then that the massive metallic magenta block taking up what felt like half of my Brooklyn bedroom could fold down.

That foldable design feature is intentional, especially "to really allow for that urban living situation," cofounder and president Alex Schinasi told Business Insider.

Despite my initial reactions, those who know, know: Hulkens are quasi-status symbols for entrepreneurs and creative industry professionals; a sign of success. It felt like "if you had a full Hulken of packages [to bring to] the post office, you were a successful entrepreneur," Schinasi remembered. A filled-up medium Hulken of orders? Flex. A large one filled to the brim? An even bigger one.

After capturing the hearts and tired arms of many, Hulken is now trying to prove it's more than a one-product hit, expanding into travel, experimenting with new materials, and eyeing retail and design partnerships — all while navigating rising costs from tariffs and global supply chain disruptions.

Professionals gravitated toward Hulken

Much of that growth has been fueled by how specific professional communities have adopted the bags for work.

"The first two years of Hulken we were seeing all these professional niches that are very active on social media use it as a work expense, so they would get a Hulken, not for their laundry or groceries, but to transport their gear to and from set," Schinasi said, listing makeup artists, hair stylists, and prop stylists as a few professionals she's seen loving their Hulkens online.

A-list celebrities have also made their fandom known, like Kourtney and Kim Kardashian.

Schinasi and her drummer husband, Yoni Sheleg, co-founded Hulken as a Shopify site in 2018. When the pandemic set in and Sheleg's gigs mellowed, they hunkered down and focused on sharpening the product and the brand, and eventually marketing it. But it was Schinasi's dad, a bag manufacturing executive, who was responsible for the tote's design.

"He was actually shopping in Paris and not really knowing how to carry all his bags, and thinking, 'Oh my God, I need a solution for stuffing all this stuff,'" Schinasi said.

He'd eventually go on to create the prototype for the bag that ultimately became the brand's best-known Rolling Tote.

As outrageous as the Hulken might look at first glance, the functional item is inseparable from a fashion feel. Its sleek look, color variety, and matte options help. So does the expertise from Kathleen Scully, Hulken's director of product design. She spent more than four years as a senior luggage designer at Louis Vuitton. Her prowess helped Hulken win the Accessories Council 2025 Design Excellence Award for Tech and Innovation, beating luxury brands like Canada Goose and Moncler Lunettes.

After all, Schinasi said, the point of Hulken is that it's a "product that obviously has a utility component, but very much without compromising on looking stylish and being beautiful and fashionable."

The intentionally-designed product resulted in Hulken’s sales surging in recent years, growing from about $390,000 in 2020 to $29 million in 2024, with the company projecting as much as $50 million in revenue last year.

Hulken takes on travel

Years later, I gave these schlep-ready bags a second chance, and they've proven their worth. I found that my Hulken, a midnight blue medium roller with a 60-liter capacity, works best when it's weighed down. If it's not filled by much, it'll flip and flop around, likely nicking the back of your foot in a way that's bound to drive you crazy.

While I still don't think it's realistic for a Hulken to become my new go-to, I'm inclined to keep these colorful granny carts handy at home the same way I keep a foldable tote in my work bag. For days when I'm embarking on a journey of errands — like doing laundry, dropping off clothes at the thrift store, then getting groceries — a Hulken offers a smooth ride along the way.

Ahead, Schinasi plans to keep innovating materials that the classic Hulken can be made of, though the cofounder wouldn't hint at what's on the docket. Its matte version, for example, has already proven successful with customers who want something less flashy.

Hulken has also been eyeing travelers, too. The brand debuted a carry-on-size bag, which Schinasi deliberately calls a travel tote instead of a suitcase, in August 2025, part of a phased rollout.

"Travel hasn't really been reinvented, as far as suitcases go. We call ourselves a travel tote because it is that tote that you have at your side at the airport," she added.

The Travel Rolling Tote retails for $125, almost the same as the brand's signature tote-on-wheels. It's often sold out, but for Schinasi, whose background is in tech, that's OK for the rollout. "I like to be able to start small and kind of grow from there to once I can validate the demand first," she explained.

Schinasi plans to keep iterating in the travel category, and the cofounder teases designer collaborations may be on the way, in addition to retailer partnerships that'll be revealed by the end of 2026.

With a solid hero product, Schinasi is currently focused on navigating the turmoil of running a business under Trump's tariffs. Like many brands, this leaves her to solve a complex pricing calculus that protects the brand's margins without shocking consumers, ideally raising prices as little as possible.

The war with Iran has been the latest blow to solving that tricky equation. "That's kind of the flip side of running a flashy DTC brand. [Our] supply chain is being fragmented. Is the supply of material going to suffer from the rising oil prices? All of our shipping has to be rethought, and we have deadlines to meet. We have commitments with retailers and partners," Schinasi said.

However it pans out, Schinasi isn't giving up on her mission to make schlepping easier and more chic.