On the occasion of his 125e anniversary, the famous luggage brand is launching an exhibition in Tokyo retracing its cultural and technological influences.
Par Vicky Chahine
© DR
Published on
After the months of tourist abstinence that gave birth to “revenge travel”, choosing one’s suitcase seems to have become a new social marker, in the same way as hand soap. And if there are now dozens of names other than Aesop for its bathroom, models with Rimowa grooves still have few competitors to express its membership in a wise community that nurtures a taste for the art of living until in the journey. Especially the emblematic aluminum suitcase, which some appropriated by affixing stickers to it, transforming the luggage into a diary of their life as globetrotters.
Rimowa, which joined the LVMH group in 2017, decided to capitalize on this image with an exhibition celebrating its 125e anniversary. Presented in Tokyo and then in New York and Cologne, where the headquarters and the factory are still located, “Seit 1898” retraces the history of the brand but also strives to show its roots in the contemporary artistic world. “We wanted to celebrate the versatility of the brand, our Germanic foundations, engineering, lifelong repairability, but also the creative dimension with this aluminum case that has become the canvas for our customers’ creativity,” explains CEO Hugues Bonnet- Masimber, who succeeded Alexandre Arnault in 2021.
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The visitor is invited to embark on the exhibition with the hostesses. Boarding literally since, dressed in a scarf and cap, they issue the boarding cards giving access to the exhibition. The latter begins with the evocation of the founder Paul Morszeck, who, from 1896, offered suitcases designed for travel, marketed with guides on “the art of travelling”. Already. His son Richard introduced aluminum models in 1937, then his grandson Dieter was the first to offer a polycarbonate model in 2000. To tell this story of innovation, the exhibition presents a few pieces from the archives, including this wardrobe nomad from the 1950s with a steel and vulcanized fiber structure, but also a bright yellow model in ABS dating from 1988 which shows that the aesthetics of luggage is not new. The rest of the exhibition confirms this with a wall of suitcases in Ivory, Petal or Cedar colored polycarbonate, as graphic as it is terribly Instagrammable. Playful and visual, a space offers you to stick stickers yourself on the walls of an aluminum room.
The last part confirms that Rimowa has chosen to go further than a bold colorama for the luggage industry. The brand has succeeded in making its suitcase a fashion accessory, collaborating with Supreme, Fendi, Moncler, but above all Dior, whose branded models paraded during the presentation of the spring/summer 2020 men’s collection. artistic expression too, with these pieces by Daniel Ashram, Wim Delvoye and Olafur Eliasson. In total, a hundred suitcases are on display, including those of singer Patti Smith, sportsman Roger Federer, artist Takashi Murakami, tattoo artist Dr. Woo and chef Massimo Bottura. Something to talk to all generations of customers. “Our suitcases have long been an insider’s secret, we want to make our products known to new territories, such as Switzerland, where we have just opened a store”, concludes Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert.
Exposition « Since 1898 », until June 18, 2023 in Tokyo. Then from September 8 to 17, 2023 in New York and in spring 2024 in Cologne, www.rimowa.com
2023-06-13 16:08:16
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