Rimowa is a travel luggage brand that was started in 1898 by founder Paul Morszeck. The brand has led innovation in the industry, and was the first luggage brand to use aluminum and polycarbonate. The brand’s insistence on handcrafting and artisanship have allowed the brand’s products to maintain their outstanding quality for more than a century.
Welcome to the 32nd issue of B.
Travel always leaves you with memories, whether you traveled to a far or close destination. I still vividly remember touring Europe with a friend during my sophomore year of college 20 years ago: the red carbon copy boarding pass, the Eurail timetable, the travel brochures, the creased and crumpled maps. It was my first trip abroad, and the time I spent walking the streets of France, Italy, and Spain, observing little details like street signs and even the logo on the side of a dump truck, has left me with valuable memories. Traveling has changed since that time, made easier by electronic tickets and Google apps, but a trip is still a time for me to take a break and seek out new ideas. It is the beginning of a new life, but also the ultimate destination. Perhaps being able to travel freely without any restrictions is something everyone dreams of.
But I think your traveling companion is even more important than your destination or accommodations. It’s quite difficult to travel for more than a few days, however, without having any conflict with your companion even if he or she is your best friend. Spending days together requires that two people share something more than just intimacy—something that can help them overcome their individual differences as they deal with daily events. Depending on who accompanies you, the places you go every day might leave you with the best memories, while great travel destinations are stressful. If having a good companion is the premise for an authentic travel experience, perhaps it’s more difficult to find the right companion than to reserve an expensive plane ticket or an exquisite hotel.
Each and every traveler possesses his or her distinct characteristics including the way each person packs for travel. People pack their necessities and personal items in their own way in a suitcase, and for this reason, I think a suitcase is like a “moving house.” Whether it’s something cheap and practical, a luxury bag protected by a cover, or an old bag that shows its age through traces of repairs, a travel bag holds its owner’s values along with their things, just as a house does.
This month, we introduce Rimowa, a German luggage brand beloved by people who like bags that are a bit out of the ordinary. Founded in 1898, the brand launched their unmistakable groove-patterned suitcases in 1950, using aluminum similar to that used on airplane fuselages. Rimowa also offers bags made of polycarbonate, which is lighter and more practical, but most of Rimowa lovers believe that the Rimowa brand is best reflected in its aluminum suitcases. They also enjoy decorating their suitcases with stickers, even though they know it will be hard to get them off later. Rimowa’s shiny metal suitcases may also be familiar from spy films where they are often the carrier of choice for cash and weapons. Through this issue, we encourage you to see the unique sensibility of luggage that only comes to reveal its true character with the wear and tear of the road.
In the whole luggage market, Rimowa’s market share is rather small compared to its reputation. The brand’s goal, however, has been to stay small as they continue to refine the form they made decades ago. They insist on production in Germany and America and have pursued slow growth. Perhaps for these reasons, I find my old Rimowa bag all the more special and precious.
All this thinking about luggage makes me feel like going on a vacation, even if it’s not with a likeminded companion. I miss the joy of waiting at the baggage claim and seeing my suitcase come out, like an old travel buddy.
PublisherSuyong Joh
Intro
Publisher’s Note
Comments
Rimowa comments and reviews from SNS and the web
Opinion
Luggage store CEO Daniel Barkany
Markets
Style
Analysis of fashion luggage brand positioning
Functionality
Analysis of functional luggage brand positioning
Inner Space
Storage
Efficiency maximizing interior storage
Protection
Protective materials and functionality
Mobility
Mobility enhancing product systems
Opinion
Editor in Chief of Leon Korea Dongheon Shin
User Choice
Travel Records
Trips recorded in stickers on Rimowa bags
Brand to Brand
Premium Tech ItemsOther high-tech items chosen by Rimowa users
Opinion
President of Évasion, a club for hotel reservations Edmond de Fontenay
Influence
Travel-Themed Brands
These travel-inspired brands bring unique character to the travel products market
Lifestyle
Guidance
Rimowa users tell B about a few services that improve the quality of travel
B’s Cut
Departures and Arrivals
Photo essay by Seungchul Yang
Brand Story
Since its beginnings manufacturing wood and leather trunks, Rimowa has grown to be a pioneer in the travel luggage industry.
Advertisements
Rimowa advertisements from the company’s early days to the present
Campaigns
Some of Rimowa’s most memorable campaigns
Rimowa in Movies
Rimowa products in the movies
Quotes
Quotes from CEO Dieter Morszeck
Timeline
Milestones in the history of travel and luggage
Figures
The global luggage market and key brands
VS
Comparative analysis of Rimowa product lines
From the Editor in Chief
The Editor in Chief comments on Rimowa’s core values
Outro
PUBLICATION RIGHT
- Publisher
- Suyong Joh
- Editor In Chief
- Taehyuk Choi
- Issue Editor
- Eunsung Park
- Senior Editor
- Heeyoung Yoo
- Editor
- Yunseong Jang, Bora Nam
- Translation Editor
- Heejean Kim
- Intern Editor
- Jaeeun Shin
- Translation
- Hyunkyung Yoo, Rancy Kim, Seongae Yang, Soonok Hwang
- Copy Editing
- Eugene Larsen-Hallok
- Proofreading
- Simon Chan
- Lead Designer
- Younghyun Ok
- Designer
- Ayoon Jung, Minyoung Kim
- Film Designer
- Onedoe Jung
- Distribution
- Nohseon Song
- Correspondents
- Mihye Nam (Tokyo), Nari Park (London), Jungho Lee (New York), Jeewon Lim (Milan), Hyeseon Jeong (Paris)
- Publishing
- JOH & Company
- Printed in the Republic of Korea
- ISBN
- 978-89-98415-63-1 03050
REFERENCES
- Trunks, Traveling Bags, and Satchels: Price Guide
- Produktklassiker: Quintessenzen der Konsumkultur (Classic Products: the Quintessence of Consumer Culture)
- Luggage Labels: Travel Stickers Series
- TGA (Travel Goods Association)
- Rimowa Luggage Factory
- Bag2Go PR Video clip