1898–1937
A Cologne workshop
Paul Morszeck founded the business in 1898. Aluminium luggage, introduced in 1937, marked a major shift in the construction of its cases.
The House & Its Designers
Rimowa
Cologne · 1898
Travel cases whose construction became their visual signature.
Rimowa’s identity comes from the case itself: a protective shell, visible grooves and hardware built for repeated travel. Its history is a sequence of material and engineering decisions.
5 photographs · Reviewed August 2026
Explore the history ↓
01 / The house
The story behind the name.
1950
The grooves
Grooves became a defining element of the aluminium shell. Inspired by aviation, the surface gave Rimowa cases a recognisable appearance.
2000 onward
Lighter shells
Polycarbonate expanded the material vocabulary. Later designs and collaborations reworked the case while retaining the connection between protection, lightness and mobility.
02 / The designers
The people who shaped the house.
Selected creative chapters; dates distinguish appointments from runway debuts.
Founding generations
The Morszeck family
Developed the workshop and successive innovations in travel cases.
Travel goods
The Rimowa design and engineering teams
Work across shell materials, handles, wheels and the details of repeated use.
03 / The bags
A vocabulary in leather and form.
A selection of the house’s designs. Resale photographs illustrate individual examples; size, finish and condition vary.
01
Vintage aluminium cases
Earlier cases illustrate the grooved aluminium construction behind the house’s modern luggage.
02
Never Still
Soft bags and travel accessories designed around a more flexible construction.
More designs to know
- Original
- Aluminium luggage with the house’s distinctive parallel grooves.
- Essential
- Lightweight polycarbonate luggage in the house’s grooved design language.
- Personal
- Compact hard-sided cases that bring luggage construction to everyday carry.