Rimowa will publish its first brand book today, printed in collaboration with Assouline.
The luxury luggage firm, a LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton subsidiary, will cap off its 120th anniversary year with the book’s release. In the last 12 months, Rimowahas unveiled a new visual identity and its first advertising campaign — as well as collaborations with brands including Off-White, Supreme and Fendi.
“We thought coming in with a book was a really nice way to finish off the anniversary,” said Hector Muelas, Rimowa’s chief brand officer. “Rimowa is a cult brand and our customers have been asking for a reference book to look at old images and designs.”
“Rimowa,” edited by Paris-based journalist Dan Thawley, “focuses on what makes Rimowa iconic, looking at the pillars of design and timelessness,” Muelas said.
He added of the decision to publish with Assouline: “We wanted the brand represented in an objective and qualitative way. We wanted to express our narrative with a physical object that is at the same level of quality and design as our .”
The book publisher’s vice president, Alex Assouline, said of its latest tome: “I grew up traveling with Rimowa. To be able to tell their story now is something we really enjoyed being able to do as fans of the brand. They represent the standard for traveling in the luxury space and this book is a true testament to the timelessness of the brand — from their origin story to their most recent new direction and iconic collaborations.”
Assouline is Rimowa’s latest creative partner, following a year filled with limited-edition suitcases designed by clout brands. While Muelas agreed that collaborations have become a source of “market fatigue” for many brands, Rimowa’s collaborative intentions are not for profit, but rather “to participate in culture.”
“We are a travel brand, collaboration is part of the inherent nature of our product,” Muelas continued. “I think we are a bit more meaningful when we do collaborations because it’s a pretty natural brand behavior. Financial results, media, whatever is a consequence of that.”
Now edging toward 2019, Muelas said Rimowa has “an amazing year ahead of us. I think that in 2019 we will not only see brand collaborations, there will also be a focus on our own products. We will launch new products and new categories as well as exploring and developing services and experiences.”
Today marks Rimowa’s first entry into the experiential market — the release of its Rimowa Original Cabin suitcase, developed in partnership with Skyhour. The product, developed as a giftable object — it’s the world’s first experiential suitcase, pre-loaded with 12 hours of travel every month for 12 months — redeemable with any flight on Skyhour.com. The suitcase is priced at $6,000 retail.