Rimowa

Rimowa is a German luxury luggage maker founded in Cologne in 1898, and it is best known for the grooved aluminum suitcase that has become a benchmark in premium travel. Its first cases were leather-covered wood and cardboard, built in a workshop rather than a factory.

The signature grooves came later. In 1950, Rimowa introduced an aluminum shell with vertical grooves inspired by early all-metal aircraft such as the Junkers F13. That ribbed metal box is the image most people see when they think of the brand.

Behind the brand

Paul Morszeck founded Rimowa in Cologne in 1898 as a workshop making wooden and cardboard travel cases covered in leather. The company has kept its headquarters in Cologne.

The name RIMOWA packs several pieces into one word. It takes Richard Morszeck’s first and last names and adds Warenzeichen, the German word for trademark. Richard, the founder’s son, took over the company in 1937.

LVMH announced in 2016 that it would acquire an 80 percent majority stake in Rimowa, and the acquisition completed in 2017. Rimowa became the group’s first German maison and has been majority-owned by LVMH since that year.

The grooved aluminum case

The grooved aluminum case dates to 1950, long after the company’s 1898 founding, so the earliest Rimowa cases were not the metal boxes now associated with the brand. The vertical grooves on the shell were inspired by early all-metal aircraft such as the Junkers F13.

That shell now underpins the Original line, the current aluminum range. The grooves are part of the shell itself, not a printed pattern, and they read from across a baggage carousel before a logo is visible.

Beyond aluminum

In 2000, Rimowa introduced the Salsa, described as the world’s first polycarbonate suitcase. The material made a lighter case than the grooved aluminum shell and gave Rimowa a second line.

Today the polycarbonate range carries the name Essential. It sits alongside the Original line as the lighter option for travelers who want the Rimowa shell without the weight of metal.

The guarantee

Rimowa suitcases bought on or after July 25, 2022 carry a lifetime guarantee covering functional defects. A cracked shell or a failed wheel qualifies under the terms, while scuffs and dents do not, because the guarantee does not cover cosmetic wear.

For suitcases bought before July 25, 2022, the terms are shorter and date-dependent. A registered suitcase carries a 5-year guarantee, and an unregistered suitcase carries 2 years.

Rimowa’s place in the market

Rimowa sits at the top of the premium luggage tier under LVMH. It appears among the best luggage brands for buyers who treat a suitcase as a long-term purchase, and its cabin-size shells are part of the carry-on luggage conversation.

The price of a Rimowa case buys the shell, the mechanism, and the guarantee rather than a printed logo. That places it above mass-market luggage and among the names serious travelers compare before buying.

Who Rimowa is for

Rimowa suits the traveler who buys one case and keeps it through a decade of flights. It is for someone who wants the material to carry the design rather than a pattern or a mark. The aluminum shell shows dents and scuffs over time, and the owner has to accept that the lifetime guarantee will not cover that cosmetic wear.