A Tale of 125 Years

RIMOWA'S TOURING EXHIBITION SEIT 1898 MAKES A STOP IN NEW YORK TO DETAIL THE JOURNEY THE GERMAN LUGGAGE BRAND HAS MADE OVER THE LAST CENTURY

- FARISIA THANG

Think luggage and Rimowa is probably one of the first brands that will come to mind. Whether myth or matter of fact, legend has it that a factory fire in the 1930s destroyed everything but the aluminium on the premises, which led second-generation owner Richard Morszeck to proclaim it as the material of choice for Rimowa. Since then, this silver metal (and its time-earned patina of endurance) has become a hallmark of the brand.

For its 125th anniversary, Rimowa continues its touring exhibition SEIT 1898, making a stop in New York. The exhibition takes visitors through the evolution of travel as well as the cultural shifts that have taken place since the maison’s founding in Cologne, Germany in 1898.

As some may know, the brand began as a saddlery company before it moved into the realm of travel. Always adapting and reinventing, Rimowa luggage has been crafted out of materials like vulcanised fibre with cowhide handles, aluminium-covered cardboard, heat-treated Duralumin, polycarbonate, and more. The brand has always found a balance between the timely and the timeless and this exhibition is a look at over 100 cases from its archives, as well as a reflection on the cultural and technological forces that shaped these resilient tools of transport. The cases are carefully curated and presented in a series of evocative diorama displays, with their stories detailed beside them.