Originally Made For Pilots, This Rimowa Case Is A Cult Hit Among Creatives Today
We share why this '90s design has achieved grailed status among its fans.
By Noelle Loh,
The ultimate mark of a well-designed product: Besides checking the boxes for form, function, innovation and endurance, it's so effective that others beyond its intended users swear by it too. For instance, Rimowa's Original Pilot case, which became a cult hit when it was launched in 1994 for its just-right size, toolbox-style opening, spacious interior and robust aluminium finish.
Now it's getting a revival with upgraded features and a whole new community of fans that span the sporting to creative industries. Here, four global personalities show off how this distinctive carry-on gives wings to their lifestyles.
Hawaii native Kelia Moniz Termini isn’t just a surfer who’s made history by winning the ASP Women’s World Longboard Championship twice (alongside plenty of other international surfing competitions). She’s also a mum, entrepreneur and model, and the revived Rimowa Original Pilot has her covered, with its modular interior that keeps all of her daily essentials – right down to necessities for her toddler – organised. For example, a padded compartment that can hold a 16-inch laptop can be easily removed to create more space. There are also multiple pockets of various sizes: from two zipped pockets meant for batteries and chargers, to a vertical one perfect for a water bottle or brolly.
Longtime BBC Radio producer/presenter Benji B – one of the UK's most respected DJs who's worked with fashion power players spanning Louis Vuitton to Phoebe Philo – describes the Rimowa Original Pilot as the "exact size" for storing his records for travel. With an exterior measuring 42 X 50 X 23cm, the updated suitcase maintains its compact proportions that were first designed to fit between the two pilot seats in a cockpit (which explains its name). Its toolbox-style opening (read: from the top) makes accessing its contents ultra-convenient, while two TSA-approved locks mean it can be opened during security checks without causing damage.
As an ecologist, advocate for anti-colorism and ethnic representation, and fashion model, Aussie native Zinnia Kumar is constantly on the move – here she is photographed during a stopover in Paris, midway on a trip between London and New York. The Rimowa Original Pilot makes for a handy travel companion with its ergonomic telescopic handle (read: adjusting its height is a breeze). And of course, its grooved silver aluminium finish – signature to the case since its debut in the ’90s – makes it an ultra-stylish one too.
Oumi Janta is the Senegal-born, Germany-based roller skating sensation whose slick moves on wheels sent her viral on Instagram, landing her coveted modelling gigs (Bottega Veneta, Adidas), and who helped fuel an interest in jam skating (a fusion of dance, gymnastics and roller skating). No surprises with regard to what she carries in her Original Pilot: her skates, as well as outfits for her popular social media videos. The suitcase is one equally smooth operator, thanks to Rimowa’s Multiwheel system – ball bearing-wheels with cushioned axles – that makes manoeuvring stable and oh-so-easy.
This article is adapted from a story in the Oct 2022 Reality Edition of FEMALE