German luggage manufacturer Rimowa and Swiss design company Vitra have collaborated on a toolbox and mobile storage stool informed by the companies’ “mutual use of aluminium”.
For the collaboration, the first between Rimowa and Vitra, the companies sought to produce objects that combined “mobility, multi-functionality, and a deep respect for material innovation”.
The collection comprises a wheeled stool and a minimalist toolbox informed by a similar model created by designer Arik Levy in 2010 for Vitra.
Aluminium was the main connection between the two companies for the project, with the team referencing the grooved material that covers Rimowa’s luggage and the Eames Aluminium Chair produced by Vitra.
“The design process was truly collaborative and rooted in a shared focus on mobility, multi-functionality, and a deep respect for material innovation,” Rimowa senior vice-president of product and marketing Emelie De Vitis told Dezeen.
“Our mutual use of aluminium became a driving force behind the collaboration, reflecting our shared heritage in craftsmanship and engineering excellence.”
The stool is cubic in form. Its hinged cap is topped with a thin, detachable fabric cushion and latches to the body of the stool with a leather strap.
On its interior, it is upholstered with Vitra-produced fabric, while two leather panels create storage options.
“The Aluminium Stool was a particularly fun piece for us to develop,” said De Vitis. “The stool represents a true melding of both our worlds.”
According to De Vitis, the corresponding toolbox “nests seamlessly” in between the stools’ interior dividers. It is composed of low-profile, rectangular walls and a thin, central divider with a handle cut out.
Like the stool, the toolbox is wrapped in an anodised aluminium casing. A patterned fabric also lines the interior. According to the team, the fabric is made from recycled materials – a nod to the recycled plastic used to make Levy’s design.
Both the stool and toolbox were created in an icy blue, beige and spring green colourway.
Recently, Vitra opened a New York showroom during NYCxDesign 2025 in Chinatown and Universal Design Studio created a Berlin Rimowa store clad in aluminium.
The photography is courtesy of Rimowa
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