Rimowa launches a new line of leather handbags featuring its signature grooves

It was in 1950 that Rimowa introduced the distinctive grooves to its aluminium suitcases; in the decades which have followed it has become the German luggage-maker’s aesthetic signature, an emblem of industrial design and a way of identifying a Rimowa case without a need for splashy branding or monograms (colourful luggage options exist for those keener to stand out).

Now, these signature ridges feature on a new line of handbags from the brand, seeing the grooved exterior of a Rimowa case reimagined as imprints on leather. Retaining the cuboid proportions of the original luggage, the new bags provide a trick of the eye – on first sight they appear to be hard-shelled, but to the touch they are actually soft and supple, made to transform to the contours of the body.

Rimowa’s industrial ridged design is softened in new leather collection

In the aptly titled ‘Groove’ collection, the leather debossing technique is used across a series of bag shapes, each one made in Italy and designed for travel. There is a roomy shopping bag (perhaps our first choice for an on-board bag, designed to sit atop the Rimowa cabin-sized suitcase), a slouchier ‘Hobo’ bag, a cross-body bag and the more compact cross-body bag ‘small’, made for passports, wallets and the like. Colours, meanwhile, are classic Rimowa shades of black and silver – while the smaller cross-body comes in a wider array of hues, including pink, burgundy and green.

‘We’re proud to usher in a new era for Rimowa as we boldly step into an exciting new category,’ says Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, Rimowa’s CEO of the new launch, which marks an important expansion for the brand. ‘The Groove Collection introduces a new pattern inspired by our iconic design codes – developed in Germany, crafted in Italy, and deeply rooted in the [brand’s] heritage and creative vision.’

The Rimowa Groove collection is available to shop now in store and at rimowa.com