Building upon the success of its ‘Distinct’ suitcase (launched in 2023), the German travel goods titan has now added even more compact leather silhouettes to its line-up. Imagined — against the backdrop of Shanghai, Amsterdam, and Los Angeles — as constant companions for “daily urban commuting”.
For much of its 128-year history, Rimowa has been defined by its relationship to aluminium: the robust metal alloy that takes well to various decorative forms, and wears the patina of travel with unmistakable aplomb.
Over the decades, the German luggage marque has offered a range of different interpretations on anodized aluminium: ranging from archival hammer-hit (hammerschlag) and grid motifs to its best-selling ‘grooved’ design, a ubiquitous sight in first class lounges and hotel lobbies around the globe.Â
In 2026 — as part of a regular update to its ‘Never Still’ collection — the brand is rolling out the latter in a huge way, translating the signature groove pattern into an array of backpacks, duffles, and cross-body silhouettes.
The kicker? All of these grooved products are made in Italy from full-grain leather: bringing a new dimension of culture and craft to a brand primarily renowned for Kölner engineering.
A quartet of styles figure prominently in this latest bag drop: each one emphasising mobility, daily function, and a construction as heavy on leather as it is light on wheels (read: totally absent). In addition, these bag styles also introduce new colours to the collection, including ‘Anthracite’ grey and a brownish mocha shade.
While it’s not quite accurate to tout Rimowa’s flapped backpack as a newcomer, this is the first time that it has been offered in a full leather construction, with the option of a reduced volume. Shot askew the backs of pedestrians — and a lone cyclist navigating the streets along Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek — it seems a sensible choice when ‘mobility’ and ‘hands-free’ are the motto.
As with its nylon and canvas predecessors, the leather backpack also features a side-to-side suitcase attachment: designed, as you’d expect, to integrate effectively with the wider universe of hardshell multi-wheel cases.Â
For a style with more weekend appeal, there are also two sizes of leather duffle available. Again, modelled after the existing large and medium-sized duffles in nylon, these versions offer a more sumptuous sensibility — particularly in the anthracite (which, at time of writing, is a leather goods exclusive). Weighing in at just over a kilo, the smaller of the two sizes makes for a reliable airport workhorse, with enough capacity — in a pinch — to pull double-duty as an overnight bag.
Rounding out the latest leather goods drop is an on-theme addition to the ‘Never Still’ crossbody range. Offered in both the new mocha and anthracite colourways, this is the least capacious of Rimowa’s latest releases: intended, more than anything else, as a personal style statement.
Never mind the fact that it’s virtually at price parity with the brand’s signature cabin multiwheel — evidently, among the fashion set, stomaching a premium to nab the newest ‘it’ bag is the cost of doing business.
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