IMAGE: RIMOWA

Pictures of the Rimowa x Alex Israel collection surfaced online earlier this year, but the pieces were technically not for sale then, but rather a sneak peak that was unveiled at the Frieze Art Fair held at Los Angeles in February 2019. It was later announced that the worldwide release was slated for 13 June 2019. And yes, that’s exactly one week from now.

So what’s the deal about these gradient-colour suitcases, and what makes them so special? Well, for one, both designs feature colour palettes from Alex Israel’s famous paintings Sky Backdrop and Untitled (Flat) which come in cotton-candy hues inspired by the skies of Alex’s hometown in Los Angeles during sunset. His signature gradient colours were transferred onto the anodised aluminium frame using a high-tech printing technique, with a similar colour treatment given to the top handle, right down to the vibrant wheels, giving the luggage an additional pop of colour.

Size-wise, it comes in the exact same dimensions as Rimowa’s original Cabin Plus, so if you need a visual size reference, you can head down to your nearest Rimowa boutique (in Singapore that’s over at Mandarin Gallery, Marina Bay Sands or Raffles Hotel) to find out more. Technically, the 57 cm by 44 cm piece should be able to fit into the overhead cabins of most international flight carriers (because you wouldn’t want to be checking in the USD2800 luggage, would you?). Just take note of the weight restrictions, as it weighs approximately 4.7 kg when it’s empty.

But here’s the deal. The USD2800 price tag of the luggage is more than twice the going rate of an original Cabin Plus (USD1250). However, what you’re buying into is the exclusivity (only available in limited pieces) of a designer collaboration that comes with custom luggage lining and a pair of exclusive (one of which includes Alex’s signature “Self-Portrait”) luggage tags.

While the luggage will not be available in Singapore, your closest option will be Japan, where it will retail for JPY315,360 (or SGD3984 after conversion) each. Alternatively you can phone a friend in the UK (GBP2090) or Europe (EUR2100) to help you get one.

IMAGE: RIMOWA