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Rimowa GmbH (), often stylized as RIMOWA, is a luxury luggage manufacturer. The company was founded in 1898, in Cologne, Germany.

Rimowa suitcases are widely known for their parallel aluminium grooves, which have become characteristic of the brand. The company's headquarters and production have been located in Cologne for 120 years.

In October 2016, LVMH purchased an 80% stake in Rimowa, which became the group's first German company. From 2017 to 2021, the company was managed by Alexandre Arnault. Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert took over as CEO in 2021.

History

In 1898, Paul Morszeck and Heinrich Görtz founded the company under the name Görtz & Morszeck. By 1900, Paul Morszeck remained as the sole director of the company. In 1931, his son, Richard Morszeck, became involved in the company and registered the trademark Rimowa at the Reich Patent Office in Berlin. "Rimowa" is an acronym for Richard Morszeck Warenzeichen (with ''Warenzeichen'' meaning ''trademark'').

In the 1930s, a fire in their factory burned most of their materials, leaving only aluminum. As a result, the company used metal for cases, which would become a signature of the brand. In 2000, the company introduced polycarbonate in box construction.

In October 2016, Rimowa joined the LVMH Group and became its first German subsidiary, with Alexandre Arnault becoming CEO of the company. LVMH acquired an 80% stake for 640 million euros. Chief Brand Officer Hector Muelas and London branding design studio Commission created a new visual identity. In January 2021, Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert became CEO, coinciding with the launch of the brand's first line of backpacks and travel bags.

Rimowa produces its products entirely in its own factories in Germany, Czech Republic, and Canada. Rimowa cases are known for being very expensive, with pre-tax retail prices for aluminum cases ranging from approximately $1,500 - $10,000 USD.

Rimowa identity evolution: 1898–present

RIMOWA identity 1898.png, Identity 1898 - 1937
RIMOWA identity 1937.png, Identity 1937 - 1950
RIMOWA identity 1950.png, Identity 1950 - 1981
RIMOWA identity 1981.png, Identity 1981 - 2018
RIMOWA identity 2018.png, Identity 2018–Present

Airplanes

In 2016, Rimowa released their replicas Junkers F.13 with production until 2019. Its maiden flight took place in 2016 and retailed for US$2,000,000.

Product lines and names

The cases of Rimowa were produced in several product lines and qualities of
* aluminum,
* leather,
* or polycarbonate

The former product line - before the taking over of LVMH - had the following names for decades:

* Topas,
* Limbo,
* Salsa,
* Pilot,
* Silver Classic,
* Classic Flight,
* Columbus and
* Attaché (für small briefcases)

Since 2018 exist the following product lines:

* Classic (more or less the same as Silver Classic),
* Distinct (leather with zipper),
* Essential (polycarbonate with simple zipper),
* Hammerschlag (german for hammer blow),
* Hybrid (made primarily of polycarbonate, with aluminum accents),
* Original (more or less the same as Topas) and
* Gewa (a special line für violine cases)

Typical rimowa products.jpg, Iconic Rimowa products
Briefcase attaché.jpg, Rare briefcase Attaché
High quality details.jpg, Reliable production number with model year
Deatail deatures.jpg, Special features
High quality details rimowa.jpg, Repairable details

Collaborations

Rimowa has established several partnerships with well-known German brands, such as Lufthansa since 1998 for the brand's centenary, or with Porsche since 1999. As part of the partnership with Porsche, Rimowa produces special series of its suitcases with specific colours or designs. Nevertheless, since 2017, Rimowa has made major changes in its strategy, moving from a product placement strategy to a strategy of close collaborations and long-term partnerships such as Fendi, Monocle, Moncler, Supreme, Off-White, Daniel Arsham, Anti Social Social Club, and the artist Alex Israel.

Supreme

In 2018, New York skateboarding brand Supreme and Rimowa teamed up to create custom versions of the Original suitcase emblazoned with the Supreme logo. Made exclusively for Supreme, the limited-edition suitcase were available in Red and Black. In 2019, a second product drop was released, this time featuring Supreme's spider web design anodized into the aluminium surface of the Rimowa Original cases. Available in Cabin Plus and Check-In L sizes, the collaboration included a co-branded black leather luggage tag, custom lining, and matching drawstring shoe bag featuring the Supreme logo.

Off-White

In 2018, Rimowa collaborated with streetwear label Off-White and its founder Virgil Abloh, also acting as Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton menswear. The capsule collection included a completely transparent Polycarbonate suitcase based on the Essential, titled "See Through", and an all-black Original case labelled with the words "Personal Belongings" in Off-White's signature block lettering and branded luggage belt. Due to its transparent design the "See Through" case forgoes interior lining and instead includes the Flex Divider system in black in addition to customised bags and an extra wheel set included in the product release.

Dior

In 2019, Rimowa partnered with luxury fashion house Dior, and its Artistic Director of menswear Kim Jones, to develop a joint capsule collection of exclusive luggage items. The collection includes custom versions of the Rimowa Original Cabin and Original Trunk suitcases featuring the Dior Oblique design, a signature motif of the iconic house dating back to 1967. Also included in the collection was a revival of an archive piece - the Rimowa and Dior Hand Case modelled on the Rimowa "Piccolo" case of the 1990s - along with an all-new design called the Rimowa Personal offering a portable size and cross-body strap. Another highlight of the collection was the Dior and Rimowa Champagne case. The capsule collected debuted on the runway of the Dior's Men's Summer 2020 fashion show in Paris.

Daniel Arsham

In 2019, contemporary artist Daniel Arsham and Rimowa collaborated on a special-edition art project. Drawing inspiration from the Rimowa brand archives in Cologne, Germany. Arsham created a numbered "eroded suitcase" series based on a vintage Rimowa Attaché briefcase. Similar to Arsham's "Future Relic" series (2013–2018) where he imagines a variety everyday objects as archaeological discoveries from a future, dystopian world.

In May 2019, the number 008/500 of this special edition was sold for USD$14,000 at auction house Sotheby's in New York City. Arsham has continued to work with Rimowa, releasing in September 2022 two 500 piece limited editions of pilots cases in silver or black containing eroded turntables.

Ambassadors

For the ‘Never Still’ global brand campaign, LVMH enlisted a series of celebrity owners of Rimowa luggage to promote their new brand identity.
Ambassadors featured in the ‘Never Still’ brand campaign include:
* LeBron James, American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
* Rihanna, Barbadian singer, actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman.
* Patti Smith, American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and poet.
* Kim Jones, English fashion designer, creative director of Dior Men.
* Yuja Wang, Chinese professional classical pianist.
* Roger Federer, Swiss professional tennis player, he has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
* Virgil Abloh, American fashion designer, entrepreneur, artist, artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection.
* Adwoa Aboah, British fashion model.
* Yoon Ahn, Korean-American designer, founder of Ambush and Dior Men's director of jewelry.
* Nobu Matsuhisa, Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur.

Awards

References

External links

Official website

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1898 establishments in Germany
German brands
German subsidiaries of foreign companies
Luggage brands
Luggage manufacturers
Luxury brands
LVMH brands
Manufacturing companies based in Cologne
Manufacturing companies established in 1898