London-based luxury travel goods brand Carl Friedrik has appointed Santiago de Hoyos as its new Creative Director.
His appointment marks the next step in the brand’s ambition to elevate its creative output, build a stronger global brand identity and “push the boundaries of contemporary luxury travel”.
Santiago de Hoyos has most recently served as Director of Creative & Art Direction at Canadian sustainable basics brand Kotn (from August 2025 to July 2026), and prior to that spent over four years as Director of Creative & Art Direction at Canadian high-end travel and lifestyle brand Monos.
At Carl Friedrik, he will be responsible for shaping the brand’s creative identity and defining its look and feel beyond the product, with a focus on developing a distinctive and “increasingly ambitious” visual language across the brand.
Carl Friedrik was established in 2013 in London by Swedish-born brothers Niklas and Mattis Oppermann, starting out with handcrafted leather wallets and briefcases before expanding into luggage in 2019.
Santiago de Hoyos said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Carl Friedrik at such an exciting point in the brand’s evolution. Its exceptional products and impressive growth over the past few years made the opportunity feel like a natural fit from the outset.
“I’m looking forward to building on that momentum and shaping the brand’s creative identity for its next chapter, alongside brand founders Niklas and Mattis and their talented team. After years working across travel and fashion, Carl Friedrik feels like a natural meeting point for both worlds.”
The appointment comes as Carl Friedrik launches its new autumn campaign under the title ‘The 10:04 To Somewhere’, described as “a playful celebration of the moments, mishaps and unexpected encounters that make a journey memorable”, all while featuring the brand’s latest luxury leather bags and luggage.
Set aboard a vintage locomotive at the Epping-Ongar Railway in Essex, the campaign takes inspiration from the romance of the classic British train journey – with crisp white tablecloths, afternoon tea and pastoral landscapes drifting past the window, before adding “a distinctly mischievous twist”.