Making a case for spending upwards of R12k on a piece of Rimowa luggage

Travel is an experience but, most of all, it is an investment. The details are paramount and this is especially true when it comes to how you get around. The funny thing is, luggage is often an afterthought – a means to an end – just how you get your things from one place to another. However, when one travels regularly, especially for work, investing in premium luggage becomes important. 

Making such an investment can be daunting and the notion that luggage must be cheap and unassuming is outdated. Luggage does need to be functional but looks count too. If you are considering an upgrade to your regular carry-on, why not go for a brand that balances function with form?

This is where Rimowa comes in. For 120 years, the German brand has made some of the best luggage available. Their aluminium, hardshell cases are favourites with many who travel regularly (if not relentlessly) and their high standards of production are matched with an equally high regard for aesthetics.

This year alone the brand has collaborated with the likes of Aēsop, Fendi and Supreme to produce limited-edition runs. But their most talked-about 2018 collaboration has to have been with Off-White, the fashion label founded by DJ Virgil Abloh, which included a selection of transparent suitcases.

Abloh - who is said to be on a plane about 320 days a year - has long been a religious Rimowa supporter and swears by their luggage.

With prices starting at almost $900 (R12,644) you would expect a lifetime of use from your Rimowa case, but judging by online reviews, this might well be the last luggage you’ll ever need to buy.