in my family and seeing other CEOs is that
you have to be involved in the product
on every single level,’ he says.
In June he hired Hector Muelas, formerly
of Apple and DKNY, as Rimowa’s chief brand
officer. Early this year they unveiled a new
visual identity, a collaboration with Munich-
based Bureau Borsche and London-based
Commission Studio. The pill-shaped frame
and rounded letters of the previous logo have
been replaced with an understated design,
with a refined sans serif font that
‘encapsulates the timeless and considered
nature of the brand’, says Muelas. The colour
blue has disappeared in favour of neutral
shades – black, white and grey.
The team also designed a new monogram
inspired by Rimowa’s original from 1898.
It features sharpened vertices like the spires
of Cologne’s famous cathedral, intertwined
with angular curves that mirror the industrial
forms of contemporary Rimowa suitcases.
Both the logo and monogram appear
on a redesigned range of packaging. Once
an afterthought, Rimowa’s packaging now
aspires to be as pleasing as that of an iPhone.
There are dust bags, shopping bags with
straps held in place by rivets, and gift boxes
for carry-ons. Demonstrating a price tag
that slides out of a little folder, Muelas says,
‘With every single piece of design, we put
a lot of consideration into how it would make
people feel. When you buy Rimowa it’s
a magic moment. It’s got to have a ritual.’
Paper accessories such as an owner’s
manual and notebooks are embossed with
fine parallel lines to mirror the suitcases’
grooves. Geographic coordinates appear
here and there, making oblique reference tomeaningful locations for the company, such
as the factory where each case was produced.
The number of meaningful locations is
increasing, as last year saw a slew of new store
openings in cities such as Paris, Frankfurt
and Tokyo. Arnault wants each one to give
customers an experience, and he plans to hire
in-country architects to design individual
stores for different markets. Beyond suitcases,
customers in larger cities will discover unique
lifestyle products made by local talents
especially for the brand. In Paris, for example,
the new flagship is selling chocolate bars by
Patrick Roger, available until mid-February.
Arnault is also excited about the pop-up
concept, having launched the company’s first
in Beverly Hills last December, built to look
like a luggage conveyor belt and selling
products such as fresh juice and travel and
design books, as well as aluminium pens by
Kaweco and T-shirts by German brand Merz
b Schwanen. ‘A pop-up in a new place for six
months allows us to try a new store concept,
a new design. If it works, great, we learn from
it. If it doesn’t work, we also learn from it.’
As for collaborations, Rimowa teamed up
with Fendi for a limited-edition suitcase with
a belt, leather handles and the double F logo
melded onto the aluminium surface. Also
launched last December, the cases came with
a price tag of €1,700 and sold out within
a week. While more such team-ups are on
the horizon, Arnault is keeping the details
to himself. What he does admit to is his
dream collaboration, with Nasa. He plans
to contact them soon.
This goal reflects Arnault’s love of
technology (he’s a graduate of Paris’
prestigious École Polytechnique). In 2016,Rimowa introduced electronic luggage tags,
and the young CEO is considering what other
digital innovations might add value for
the customer. Nothing gimmicky, he insists.
A suitcase with an integrated battery charger
would be heavy and unnecessary, while one
with its own scale seems practical.
For the 80th anniversary of its signature
aluminium suitcase last year, the house
produced a fully digital campaign – portraits
of Rimowa cases belonging to Karl Lagerfeld,
Martha Stewart and the Italian chef Massimo
Bottura, among others. Reached at his
recent Gucci Garden restaurant opening
in Florence, Bottura recalls, ‘I bought my
first Rimowa after years of luggage envy,
watching other travellers wheel their metal
cases around with ease. In particular I was
fascinated by the Rimowa photography cases,
these big aluminium boxes that protected
fragile equipment. Finally, a wheel broke on
a black plastic trolley I had and I bought
a Rimowa silver bullet trolley at the airport
to replace it. And that was the beginning
of the obsession.’
At a time when many brands talk about
storytelling, suitcases are natural vehicles for
it. ‘They’re travel companions,’ notes Muelas,
witnesses to the experiences and memories
that mark a journey. Indeed, when LVMH
announced the acquisition, Arnault received
notes from people around the world telling
him their Rimowa stories. He says, ‘There’s
an amount of love that exists out there for
this product that I’ve rarely seen before, and
I think it’s linked to this relationship of trust.
Our suitcases are so robust that people trust
us with their most personal belongings, their
most valuable things.’ ∂ rimowa.comRimowa’s redesigned identity extends to details
such as a monogrammed rivet on price tagsA luggage tag in grey leather sits within the
redesigned packaging, complete with owner’s manualThe new tags see the price tucked discreetly
within a little folder‘What I’ve learned from growing up in my family is that
you have to be involved in the product on every single level’
Photography: © Rimowa132 ∑
Design