Supreme collaborates with Rimowa on premium luggage collection

By

Robin Driver

Published
Apr 10, 2018

Cult NYC streetwear brand Supreme’s latest collaboration was announced on Tuesday as a four-piece suitcase collection developed with iconic German luggage manufacturer Rimowa and slated for release in mid-April.

 
The collection pieces are customized versions of Rimowa’s aluminium Topas Multiwheel suitcases, which feature four wheels, two internal divider systems and TSA combination locks. The suitcases will be available in two sizes, a 45-liter carry-on model and an 82-liter format.
 
Each piece features an oversized version of Supreme’s logo and is available in either black or red.

Rimowa was initially founded as a saddlery shop by Paul Morszeck in 1898, in Cologne, Germany. Its first cases were made from wood and leather, and it was not until a factory fire destroyed most of the company’s materials in the 1930s, that Rimowa first developed pieces made out of the aluminium that had survived the blaze.
 
The construction of early commercial aircraft inspired the now iconic groove pattern which was incorporated into Rimowa’s cases in 1950. The company also began producing polycarbonate pieces in 2010.
 
Since Alexandre Arnault took over at Rimowa (after LVMH acquired an 80% stake in the premium luggage company), the young CEO has been rolling out a new, more millennial-focused image for the brand, employing strategies such as pop-up retail experiences and savvy collaborations to give Rimowa further appeal in the fashion and lifestyle spaces.
 
Indeed, the Supreme collaboration doesn’t look to be the last streetwear partnership for Rimowa this year: Arnault teased an upcoming collaboration with Off-White with an Instagram post in September 2017, before returning to the subject with another photo posted when Virgil Abloh was named  as head of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections, this time suggesting that the collaboration was slated for launch in summer 2018.
 
The 45-liter carry-on suitcases in the Supreme x Rimowa collection will retail for $1,600 (£1,050), while the 82-liter models are priced at $1,800 (£1,150).
 
The collection will be available in Supreme’s New York, Brooklyn, LA, London and Paris stores, as well as online, from April 12, and will launch in Japan and select Rimowa stores on April 14.