Schlep in Style This Holiday Season

GOLDA gang, the season of schlep is officially upon us. We’re schlepping to work, schlepping to buy gifts, schlepping to school dropoff, schlepping to holiday parties, schlepping schlepping schlepping. 

It’s exciting, but it can get unwieldy. Which is why the greatest improvement to my life recently has been a rose gold Hulken bag. I had seen them all over Instagram and around New York City, but what really got me hooked was when Mamaleh’s Dara Katz featured the bag right here on GOLDA in her Cool Girls Guide to Mahjong. 

For the uninitiated, a Hulken is a ludicrously capacious rolling tote made from industrial-grade material in bright shiny colors. It’s beloved by chefs, artists, stylists, and others whose professions involve regularly hauling large quantities of things, as well as those of us who do so recreationally. 

A few days after I ordered mine, a box showed up that read HULKEN: SCHLEPPING MADE EASY.

It was then that I realized the extent to which the brand had embraced the concept of schlepping—a Yiddish verb meaning to drag or lug something, including yourself—and in the process totally reinvented it. 

I knew I had to talk to the genius behind this deeply relatable, deeply Jewish brand.  

So today, as part of our Eight Days of GOLDA series, I’m bringing you my conversation with Hulken co-founder Alex Schinasi. Alex grew up in Francophone Switzerland, lived in Tel Aviv (where she met her husband), and is currently based in Lisbon with her family. She founded and sold two startups before launching Hulken, which means she is extremely legit. 

Stay tuned after the interview for our Hulken picks—plus a special discount for GOLDA readers.

GOLDA: What’s the origin story of the Hulken? 

Alex Schinasi: It started as a family product. My family's background is in manufacturing these ginormous, big bags that you see for construction or pharmaceuticals. 

My father was shopping through the streets of Paris around the holidays and thought to himself: You know, I need a better way to schlep my stuff. He sketched something on his hotel notepad, sent it to his factory, and created a very first prototype, which was a very flimsy early version of what the Hulken is today. It was that OG version that we were all using around the house—my brothers, my husband, myself. We were living in New York at the time and would go shopping at Trader Joe's, and people would literally stop us on the street and ask about it. And we’re like, OK, maybe it is interesting. 

When Covid happened, my husband was a full-time musician in Brooklyn and not anywhere close to being an entrepreneur. But he said, what am I going to do with my time now that the stages are closed? 

It started very organically. At first, it was very much word-of-mouth. I was still working at my first startup and I was in the midst of launching a new startup. Hulken was kind of a weekends-and-nights type of thing. In the first two years, we really focused on making sure we had an incredible product. And it kind of spoke for itself. It created this viral flywheel effect. About a year or so ago, I went full in and sold my second company. Hulken was doing so well that it was kind of an obvious decision.

It's such a genius product. But the thing I love about it most as a Jewish consumer is that you've made the Yiddish word schlep such a big part of your brand identity. I’m curious about that decision to lean into that term and that identity. 

There's just no other word that can better describe what it's all about. We made an intentional decision to lean into that sentiment of schlepping. We knew it was something that was inherently not fun. Nobody likes to schlep. But we made it fun, enjoyable, sexy. And leaning into that identity was really critical for us in terms of positioning. Instead of shying away from the sentiment, we embraced it and adopted it as a core identity within our brand. 

And as far as the Jewish aspect, it was never a question for us. We're never shying away from the fact that we're Jewish founders. 

It's really so perfect that it's a Jewish mom who revolutionized schlepping and made it chic.

It's so perfect. Lee Rotenberg, who I co-founded my first two start-ups with and is now the chief revenue officer at Hulken, is also a Jewish mom and she’s the one who actually came up with the Schlepping Made Easy slogan. It was so intuitive to us—and maybe that's why it felt right instantly. 

Can I ask what your favorite Hulken color is? 

I love the rose gold and I love the midnight blue. It's so chic and a twist on the classic black, which is also obviously a very easy choice if you don't know which color to get. 

GOLDA’s Hulken Picks

And now, some Hulken Hanukkah gift ideas for the schlepper in your life. Get a discount on your order with code GOLDA.

Original Rolling Tote Bag

The Hulken bags come in three sizes. I got the medium in this gorgeous rose gold, and can confirm it’s perfect for schlepping.

Schlep Luggage Tag

Hulken just launched a new line of accessories doubling down on the schlep theme. These luggage tags are sure to make an airport trip smoother, and inspire knowing nods from fellow travelers.

Schlep Hat

Announce your shlepper status with this cute baseball hat.

Cross-Body Phone Cord

This cross-body phone cord lets you keep track of your phone while lugging your Hulken around!

Original Rolling Tote Bag

GOLDA editor Ariel Shapiro swears by the Midnight colorway, which I’ve seen her rolling around the Upper West Side. Alex Schinasi is right: it is extremely chic.

GOLDA may earn a few shekels from any purchases made using links in this article. 

Happy schlepping!

Stay GOLDA,

Stephanie