10 Things to Know About Rimowa

Image via Supreme

While many people might not have known about Rimowa until recently, the brand is far from new. It was founded in 1898 in Cologne, Germany, where its head office is still located to this day, by Paul Morszeck. Originally known as Kofferfabrik Paul Morszeck, it quickly became a benchmark in quality and craftmanship for trunks. 

Rimowa is ubiquitous for its hard-sided alumunim luggage. Originally, the lightweight cases were constructed of wood, until the company's first metal case was put on the market in 1937. It was created by Richard Morszeck, the founder's son (Rimowa is derived from his full name Richard Morszeck Warenzeichen), and would become the standard for the brand moving forward. The unmistakable groove design seen on a majority of Rimowa luggage today was not introduced until 1950. It was inspired by the world's first all-metal airplane that showcased the same grooves on its exterior. 

To further improve on its alreday high-quality designs, Rimowa would introduce the Tropicana case in 1976. It was intended to store equipment for professional film crews and photogrpahers, particularly those working in excessively cold or humid climates with excess moisture, and featured a fully waterproof outer shell. 

Entering the new millenium, Rimowa would introduce yet another big innovation to its line of luggage. The German company would releases its first polycarbonate case, which offered climate protection, durability, and a lightweight build. Throughout the 2000s, Rimowa would continue to add new features that have become the standard for its products ever since like the Mutiwheel system in 2001 in which all wheels turn a full 360 degrees for easy movement, and an improved security lock system in 2006. 

Rimowa might be known in the streetwear space for its more recent work with Supreme or Off-White, but its entry into the niche marketplace happened over a decade ago in 2008. The luggage creator tapped Bape to create gold and silver versions of their roller suitcase. To set them apart from the crowd, the Japanese streetwear brand covered each option in its iconic ABC Camouflage pattern. Some people even consider this to be one of the best items in the Bape archive. 

In 2017, the LVMH Group officially acquired an 80 percent stake of Rimowa for €640 million (app. $705.4 million). It marked the first German subsidiary acquired by LVMH, which also owns luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Fendi. LVMH Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault's son Alexandre was also CEO of Rimowa the same year. Now 27 years old, Alexandre's position with Rimowa also marked when the brand began to skew towards streetwear and popular culture for a lot of big projects. Since taking the position, it has worked on product and campaigns with Supreme, Off-White, Ambush, Dior, Daniel Arsham, Kim Jones, LeBron James, and more. 

Supreme made its biggest splash in the luxury market in Summer 2017 when its official collaboration with Louis Vuitton hit stores and caused mass hysteria among consumers. Supreme was validated to a whole newmarket. Rather than make another duffel bag or backpack for travel purposes, it continued its luxury-leaning efforts in 2018 by stamping its logo on red and black versions of the Rimowa Topas Multiwheel suitcase in carry-on and larger sizes. It was considered a top collaboration of the year, and had no problem selling out in mere minutes despite its lofty retail price, which ranged from $1,600 to $1,800. In retrospect, that seems like a steal considering each resells for over $3,000 at the moment. The Cabin and large Check-In sizes usually retail for $1,070 and $,1340, respectively.

Coming off of its successful partnership with Supreme, Rimowa stayed in the streetwear realm by working with Virgil Abloh's Off-White at the peak of the brand's popularity in late 2018. Abloh's recognizable signature detailing like bold "PERSONAL BELONGINGS" text, a removable yellow industrial belt, and striped luggage tag all showed up on this black aluminum Topas design. While not ideal for privacy in the airport, the more talked about options from the drop are the see through cases emblazoned with Off-White arrows and stripes that allow everyone to see exactly what you are packing for your upcoming trip. In 2018, Abloh told Business of Fashion his reasoning for the design decision.

"It’s like 3.0 of personalization. It’s not just putting your initials on it but allowing another layer to come in play. There’s an emotional component to owning [the suitcase] and you become a performance art piece just by using the thing. It’s like putting your items on display and rethinking the premise of a product."

Rimowa's most recent work is also its second official collaboration with Supreme. This time around, Supreme dipped into its 25--year-long archive to reference a spider web pattern previously used on items like jackets and hoodies. The all-over print was applied to black version of Rimowa's Topas luggage resulting in a much more eye-catching offering than the first installment from the duo in 2018. Each is finished off with subtle Supreme logos at the bottom end of the rollers. Like the first collab, these pieces sold out with relative ease both in-store and online. 

Keeping with its evolution in the collaboration space, Rimowa also made a decision to alter its logo in favor of a more contemporary look in 2018. The clean lettering replaced the previous look, which featured a round frame and rounded letters. A new monogram was also introduced that acted as a nod to its found year, and was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral. Both logos can be seen in abundance across the brand's range of products, packaging, and promotional materials.