Our Heritage

At just 18, Richard Gibbs started out in the Los Angeles area, in the travel industry, as a sales representative. After serving in the Marine Corps during WWII, attending UCLA, and more than a year fulfilling his dream to perform on Broadway, Gibbs returned to what became his unexpected legacy in luggage. Now supporting a growing family, just selling suitcases couldn’t satisfy the visionary businessman with boundless ingenuity.

TAKING INSPIRATION FROM HIS BELOVED CALIFORNIA LIFESTYLE — GIBBS DESIGNED HIS FIRST PIECE OF LUGGAGE IN 1978 WITH A FOCUS ON QUALITY, VALUE, AND STYLE. HE NAMED HIS WELL-RECEIVED CREATION ‘RICARDO’.

With a discipline he learned in the military and a creative spirit derived from his love of the arts, Gibbs continued to refine the design of the suitcase and turn it into a growing number of collections of sought-after pieces. He began traveling the world with his much-loved wife Addy to source the best-looking fabrics, premium materials, and inspiration from other travelers for new designs. In time, Ricardo Beverly Hills became an established brand in the U.S. Our founder’s secret to success? “A lot of innovation.”

Toward the beginning of his career, Gibbs invented and patented a floating divider that conveniently split packing space into two separate areas (inspired by the many trips with his wife and just one suitcase) - a design feature we still include in some of our collections today. His obsession with quality and dedication to always creating new, better designs live on as part of our core purpose.

Throughout his life, Gibbs made countless contributions to not only the travel industry but the experience of traveling itself—as well as frequent contributions to charitable programs in the arts and in the community that was near and dear to his wish to leave the world a better place. Today, we strive to follow in the footsteps and hold true to the values by which our founder not only led a brand but led a life.