Take a trip through nostalgic travel photography with Rimowa
The Cologne-based suitcase expert has released a Rizzoli-published monograph of its archival designs

There’s a host of ritualistic activities that signify a holiday has begun: bidding farewell to your check-in bag at the departures desk, the first sip of something bubbly in an airport lounge, or the exhilarating feeling of an aeroplane first lifting into the sky. For the design obsessives among us, out-of-office begins when the internal Flexi Dividers of a Rimowa suitcase are filled and the locks of its grooved aluminium outer shell are gently clinked together. We fully condone a monomania for something so expertly made, with a whole cargo cabin worth of design history, especially when it's accompanying you to adventures abroad.
We imagine your suitcase has gathered a little dust this year, but in lieu of physical travel, Rimowa has the at-home escapist answer. It’s latest Rizzoli-published monograph Rimowa: An Archive, Since 1898, provides a decades-and-destination spanning history of the brand – which was first founded in Cologne in 1898, and introduced its signature aluminium suitcase in 1937, after the metal was the only material that survived a blaze at the brand's factory. The volume also features a foreward by Wallpaper* founder and Monocle editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé.
Topas collection, (1999)
‘It is one possible arrangement from the entire collection, carefully chosen with the intent of sharing a clear, albeit inevitably incomplete, narrative,’ states the books introduction, regarding the archive wonders enclosed in its pages. The volume is chaptered according to the materials which Rimowa’s travel items have been designed in, moving from its earliest leather and wood and steel iterations, into its more contemporary aluminium and polycarbonate creations.
RELATED STORY
The range of archival designs on display include a bass transport case from the 1960s, to a radio case from 1979, a bar cart case from the 1990s, to a custom case for model airplanes from 2002. Other eye-catching inclusions include the recent host of collaborative designs with artists and brands masterminded by Alexandre Arnault – who was appointed CEO in 2017 when LVMH acquired a majority stake in the brand. These include Off–White's clear polycarbonate suitcase, Dior's Oblique logo emblazoned hand case and Alex Israel's LA skyline-inspired cabin case in hazy blue and pink anodised aluminium.
A Rimowa design draws coveted stares from regular suitcase wheelers in global departure lounges. From your coffee table, Rimowa: An Archive, Since 1898, will incur equally envious eyelines.
Rimowa advertising detail (1980s)
Manufactured indents meant to resemble crocodile teeth marks on the Rimowa Salsa Crocodile case (2012)
Calypso radio case, by Rimowa (1979)
Editorial photograph of the Rimowa Savannah no.956 roller suitcase (1990)
Cabin trunk with canvas covering (1970s), by Rimowa
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album cover
The compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
What to see at Rencontres d’Arles 2025, questioning power structures in the state and family
Suppressed memories resurface in sharply considered photography at Rencontres d'Arles 2025. Here are some standout photographers to see
-
How to be butch: Clark Henley’s sharp, satirical and playful manual is back in print
The 1982 classic, ‘The Butch Manual: The Current Drag and How to Do It’, full of tongue-in-cheek advice, is available once again
-
We are all fetishists, says Anastasia Fedorova in her new book, which takes a deep dive into kink
In ‘Second Skin’, writer and curator Fedorova takes a tour through the materials, objects and power dynamics we have fetishised
-
The gayest love story ever told: Jeremy Atherton Lin's memoir is a tribute to home
In 'Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told', Jeremy Atherton Lin mixes memoir with a historical deep-dive into marriage equlaity
-
The glory years of the Cannes Film Festival are captured in a new photo book
‘Cannes’ by Derek Ridgers looks back on the photographer's time at the Cannes Film Festival between 1984 and 1996
-
Taschen’s sexy record covers are hitting all the right notes
Taschen has been through 50 years of album art for its latest tome, ‘Sexy Record Covers’
-
Take a rare chance to see the astonishing Ringier Collection of artworks in Düsseldorf
From Barbara Kruger to Sylvie Fleury: publishing mogul Michael Ringier opens his private art collection to the public, sharing 500 works, and tells us what makes great art
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
-
MK&G’s ‘Glitter’ exhibition: a brilliant world-first tribute to sparkle and spectacle
MK&G’s latest exhibition is a vibrant flurry of sparkles and glitter with a rippling Y2K undercurrent, proving that 'Glitter is so much more than you think it is'