The SEIT 1898 exhibition reflects on the evolution of travel

To mark its 125^th anniversary, Rimowa is unveilling the SEIT 1898 exhibition, a 3-stop touring exhibition that guides visitors through the rapid evolution of travel that’s defined the times since the maison’s founding in Cologne Germany in 1898.

Featuring over 100 cases from the Rimowa archives and friends of the brand, SEIT 1898 looks back on the cultural and technological forces that shaped the resilient tools of transport we trust today.

First stop: Tokyo

Scheduled to open in June 2023, it will make stops in Tokyo from 9 to 18 June and New York from 8 to 17 September before returning to the place where it all began, in Cologne, Germany in Spring 2024.

With destinations finally returning to calendars after an unprecedented pause the retrospective comes at a fitting time to reflect on what it means to move and travel. As we look to the future, SEIT 1898 showcases how the many transformations in travel over the last 125 years have all left their unique mark on the luggage we carry today.

Unbeatable Quality

A careful selection from Rimowa’s extensive archive tells this story. Presented in a series of evocative diorama displays like a larger-than-life ‘exploded’ Rimowa Cabin- elements of the brand’s past are expressively reconstructed to mark the materials, places, people, trends, and craft that defined its identity.

Where You Saw It

• Featured throughout the displays are experimental artistic partnerships, rarely-seen privately owned cases from public figures like Patti Smith and Roger Federer, collaborations with brands like Off-White and Dior, pop culture artifacts like the briefcase from Mission Impossible I, special purpose pieces tailored for anything from poker sets to Stradivarius violins, and items that marked milestone advancements for the brand like the iconic grooves first introduced in 1950.

Together, the curation examines Rimowa’s many noteworthy contributions to the material culture of travel from the end of the 19^th century to today. SEIT 1898 shares generations of these tools that were made by Rimowa’s hands but defined by the discerning travellers that reached for them for 125 years and counting.

More information can be found on the Official Rimowa Website.