GROOVY DESIGN: Luxury German luggage manufacturer Rimowa embarked on a fresh design collaboration with Switzerland-based design firm Vitra. On Wednesday, Cologne-based Rimowa told WWD that the limited-edition drop consists of an aluminum stool and aluminum toolbox. Tailored to the likes of a well-heeled traveler, the collection will be unveiled during Art Basel on June 18.

Rimowa’s iconic grooved aluminum which it has incorporated into its suitcases since the 1920s, is a key feature of the collection, which will be unveiled at a celebration at the Vitra Fire Station, a concrete and steel building designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid. The Vitra Fire Station is located at the Vitra Furniture factory in Weil am Rhein, Germany.

Vitra, like Rimowa, shares decades of expertise in processing aluminum. Founded in 1950, Vitra has been at the forefront of contemporary design and continues to produce the Eames Aluminum Chair which was originally designed by Ray and Charles Eames in 1958. Regarding the collaboration, Rimowa chief executive officer Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert said that both firms came together as “two iconic brands known for their material expertise and distinctive design.“

It isn’t the first time Rimowa has explored the world of furniture design. In 2020, it unveiled a partnership with Swiss-based modular furniture maker USM. Together the two firms created a one-of-a-kind storage unit that fused Rimowa’s signature grooved aluminum with USM’s modular design system.

Both the Aluminum Stool and the Aluminum Toolbox are jointly manufactured at Rimowa’s and Vitra’s respective factories. Rimowa aluminium components are produced at their historic headquarters in Cologne, and Vitra’s upholstered textile elements are made on the Vitra Campus.

The Aluminium Stool, priced at 2,200 euros and released as a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, is a mobile storage stool made with Rimowa’s iconic grooved aluminum and equipped with the German house’s multiwheel system and lined on the inside with Vitra fabric. Meanwhile, the Aluminium Toolbox, priced at 550 euros and released as a limited-edition number of 100 pieces, was inspired by the Vitra Toolbox designed by artist and industrial designer Arik Levy in 2010. This new product has been reimagined with Rimowa’s signature anodised aluminum casing and lined with recycled fabric.

In a statement, Vitra’s chief executive officer Nora Fehlbaum highlighted the synergies between the two brands.

“This collaboration combines our expertise in the design of living and working spaces with Rimowa’s know-how in the field of mobile functionality,” Fehlbaum said.

The Rimowa x Vitra installation will remain open until June 27. Both products will be on sale starting June 18 on both the Rimowa and Vitra websites.