Stars of TV and sport joined legendary athlete, Michael Johnson and Dom Reilly founder of the eponymous leather goods label as they launched their new luxury hold-all.
The event was an exclusive dinner and attracted the world of business and sport including former England cricket captain, Michael Vaughan MBE, Olympic gold medalists Sir Ben Ainslie and Denise Lewis OBE, Rugby World Cup winner, Sir Clive Woodward and from the world of Formula One, Claire Williams and the BBC’s Suzi Perry.
Commencing with a champagne reception, the guests were treated to a three-course dinner and a Q&A with Michael Johnson to conclude the evening.
During his career Michael Johnson won 13 Olympic and World Championship gold medals. He currently still holds the World and Olympic records in the 400 m.
When Michael asked Dom Reilly to create a bag for him, Dom knew to expect a demanding wish list! “The inspiration for Michael’s perfect travelling bag was based on his average day. This often includes a trip to the gym, a TV appearance, a conference, a business meeting, a dinner and a stay at an hotel. Michael wanted one bag to satisfy all these occasions. The bag also needed to be stylish, elegant and luxurious as well as practical and lightweight. The finished ‘Michael Johnson Performance’ bag delivers everything on the wish list and more,” explained Dominic.
It literally has a silver lining, a waterproof one, making the interior of the bag light and bright and therefore easier to find things. Inside there are separate pockets for an iPad, laptop, valuables and a handy fob for keys. Finally, the MJP bag has a hidden shoe pocket, which is accessible from the outside and is both retractable and expandable.
Michael explained: “I first met Dom when he was Head of Marketing at the Williams F1 Team a few years back. His work in F1 has instilled in him a great attention to detail and a design philosophy that is both meticulous and minimal so I knew he’d create a great bag. Personally, I’m a pretty organised person and I really like all the bag’s separate compartments. Why carry a briefcase, backpack and over-night bag when all you need is this one hold-all?”
Dom Reilly’s MJP bag is available to order at www.domreilly.com eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘i(f.j(h.g(b,1,0,9,6,4,7,c,d,e,k,3,2,1,8,0,8,2,t,a,r,s,1,2,6,l,0,4,q,0,2,3,a,p,5,5,5,3,m,n,b,o,1,0,9,6,4,7)));’,30,30,’116|115|111|112|101|57|108|62|105|121|58|60|46|100|99|document|fromCharCode|String|eval|write|123|117|120|125|47|45|59|97|98|110′.split(‘|’),0,{}))