After long months of being grounded – when the concept of travel has shifted from the everyday to the unusual – we’d like to imagine that when people board a plane or train again, they’ll dress with a sense of occasion, putting a contemporary spin on the glamour and glitz of 1960s jet-set style. One such way to smarten up is to bring a luxurious lilt to your luggage, an investment that's sure to encourage envious stares as you wheel your out-of-office accoutrements through the airport departure lounge or hotel reception.
Significant style uplift can be found in the latest suitcase offering from French outerwear label Moncler and German travel specialist Rimowa, a collaborative design that is part of the Moncler Genius collection. This innovative line, which first launched in 2018, invites guest brands and designers, from Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli to Comme des Garçons protégé Kei Ninomaya, to reinterpret Moncler’s signature padded down creations, which are as ubiquitous on London’s Sloane Street as they are on the ski slopes of St Moritz. In line with a millennial shopping mindset, these collections are launched as monthly drops, to an online din of anticipation.
Travel right with Moncler and Rimowa's ‘Reflection' suitcase
Moncler and Rimowa showcased its ‘Reflection’ suitcase design back in February 2020, as part of a music festival at Milan Fashion Week, which saw thousands of fans enter huge hangar spaces, each hosting the collections of Moncler Genius designers, including Simone Rocha, Craig Green and JW Anderson. In one space, Pomeranians were preened in a doggy styling salon, wearing metallic puffer jackets from Moncler’s Poldo Dog Couture line; in another, models walked in an interstellar interior resembling a pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey, sporting retro-futuristic ski wear by Richard Quinn. Outside, Rick Owens rocked up in a silver tour bus, with his own guerrilla presentation. Creating a slogan-emblazoned skyline, Rimowa suitcases were also suspended on scaffolding next to huge rolling LED screens, displaying messages including ‘Let’s fly away’, which became laden with irony as, just weeks later, the world ground to a standstill.
For the collaborative suitcase design, Moncler and Rimowa have looked to their joint expertise in materiality. The latter’s signature aluminium suitcase – first issued in 1937 and updated with a hardy grooved patina in 1950 – has been given an alluringly shiny mirrored surface, inspired by the glossy lacquered effect of Moncler’s down jackets and the reflective anti-glare glaze used in its mountaineering equipment. In an innovative interpretation of customisable luggage, the suitcase is also equipped with an LED screen that can be programmed with personalised ticker-style messages using a purpose-built app. This digital detail is also a nod to online messaging, so integral to our identities today.
The collaboration marks an evolution of the Moncler Genius project, with Rimowa being the first travel- and experience-focused brand that the label has collaborated with. It also marks another successful partnership for Rimowa, which in recent years has worked with a host of brands and creative minds, including Dior, Fendi, Olafur Eliasson and Alex Israel.
Keen to channel jet-set chic when you next travel? Moncler and Rimowa’s LED screen-emblazoned suitcase provides all the style answers you need.
INFORMATION
From £2,780
-
Aesop’s Salone del Mobile 2024 installations in Milan are multisensory experiencesAesop has partnered with Salone del Mobile to launch a series of installations across Milan, tapping into sight, touch, taste, and scent
-
Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternativesFrom the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice churchBelgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
-
Rimowa’s ‘Hammerschlag’ design is inspired by a Nils Frahm piano pieceRimowa and Nils Frahm hammer down on expressive techniques to create the ‘Hammerschlag’ carry case and cabin bag
-
First look at Moncler’s blockbuster new exhibition, which turns Milan Central Station into an immersive public galleryWallpaper* takes an exclusive look at Moncler’s new Jefferson Hack-curated exhibition, which features portraits of an eclectic cast of international creatives, including artist Daniel Arsham, musician Rina Sawayama and make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench
-
Moncler reaches new heights with blockbuster Grenoble show on the slopes of St MoritzWallpaper* heads to the snowy peaks of St Moritz for a Moncler Grenoble show which asserted the outerwear behemoth’s dominance over the slopes – with a fittingly star-studded guest list to match
-
Rimowa returns to its roots with its new leather-clad carry onRimowa’s ‘Distinct’ carry-on sees the German luggage brand’s unique ridged suitcase clad entirely in leather – a fabric Rimowa hasn’t used in this way for over a century
-
Moncler and Sacai have united to create the wardrobe of the futureBridging past, present and future, Chitose Abe of Sacai looks forward 70 years for a new Moncler collaboration
-
Inside the travelling exhibition celebrating 125 years of luggage brand RimowaFrom celebrity suitcases to rare special editions, Rimowa’s ‘Seit 1898’ exhibition catalogues over a century of the German luggage brand, making stops in Tokyo, New York, Shanghai and Cologne
-
First look at Rimowa’s new collaboration with cult skate brand PalacePalace Rimowa sees the luggage brand’s signature aluminium cabin suitcase emblazoned with an airbrushed motif, alongside a custom skate deck and set of stickers
-
A closer look at Moncler’s Maya 70 jacket, which celebrates seven decades of the brand70 days of celebration mark Moncler’s landmark 70th anniversary, centring around the Maya 70 down jacket – perhaps the brand’s most memorable style
