Europe – German luxury luggage brand Rimowa is collaborating with Swiss furniture designer USM to create a unique concept design that reflects both companies’ dedication to functionality and craftsmanship. The one-off prototype piece – which is not for sale – combines characteristic details of each brand’s signature product, re-imagining USM’s Haller E2 storage unit in Rimowa’s grooved aluminium.
While the collaboration may seem unexpected, both companies have a decades-long history of constantly innovating and improving on the same design, and this latest project continues to expand on that tradition. ‘USM and Rimowa have focused on constantly improving the same products for decades: Rimowa on its grooved aluminium suitcase since 1955 and USM on its modular furniture system that was patented in 1965,’ says Emelie de Vitis, marketing director at Rimowa: ‘Such constant innovation can only be achieved by paying the greatest attention to both quality and functionality.’
Rimowa’s distinctive suitcase design is synonymous with luxury travel, and the collaboration sees the luggage maker entering the premium homeware market – albeit on a conceptual level – in a way that feels authentic and aligned with its brand DNA.
Strategic opportunity
How can you use long-standing expertise in one sector to find an authentic and meaningful entry point into another?