RIMOWA × Faber-Castell: an Artist Case for creative journeys

When a journey starts on paper

Many good trips begin long before the airport, with a sketch, a map or a note scribbled on whatever is at hand. RIMOWA has taken that thought as the starting point for its latest collaboration. For more than a century the house has travelled with its customers. Now it pairs that experience with Faber-Castell to build a case for the tools that turn impressions into drawings: the Artist Case.

The partnership brings together two names that stand for German craftsmanship. Faber-Castell was founded in 1761 and is run today by the ninth generation of the family; artists have worked with its writing and drawing instruments for generations. RIMOWA is known for precision-made aluminium suitcases. Both houses describe a shared commitment to quality, craftsmanship and honest materials.

The Artist Case also continues a habit of the house. RIMOWA has built special cases with specialist partners before, among them cases for violins and trumpets with GEWA and a cocktail case with Robbe & Berking. Each time the aluminium shell stays recognisable while the interior is rebuilt around a craft. In the Artist Case, that craft is drawing.

Aluminium that keeps a record

The case is made of high-end anodised aluminium, a material that, as RIMOWA puts it, ages well and takes on a personal character the more it is used. Anyone who has travelled with an aluminium suitcase knows the effect: every dent and scratch becomes part of the story. On a case built for an artist’s tools, that patina feels especially fitting.

A studio that unfolds

Inside, a specially developed tray system on two levels does the real work. When the case is opened, the trays unfold and lay out the contents in a made-to-measure display, so that every tool stays organised and within reach. The house photographs it filled with rows of Faber-Castell coloured pencils, which shows the idea at a glance: open the lid and the palette is already set out, whether on a desk, a hotel table or a terrace.

In character the design looks back to vintage cases, while the execution is contemporary. A leather handle makes it easy to carry, and RIMOWA sees the case as much at home in the house or the studio as on journeys that have not been planned yet.

Made in Cologne, made to be given

The Artist Case is crafted in Cologne and comes with a two-year warranty. RIMOWA presents it both as a gift and as a piece for one’s own collection. It is sold in RIMOWA stores worldwide and in the brand’s online store, as well as in Faber-Castell’s own shops in Germany and through its online store in the EU.

Our view

For travellers who draw, the case solves an old problem: pencils that roll around the bottom of a bag and break. For everyone else it is one of the more original gifts in the world of luxury travel, an object that invites its owner to look more closely at the places they visit. If you give it, give it filled: with the pencils the recipient already uses, or with a selection that invites them to try something new. If you are looking for more ideas, our Gift Finder matches presents to the person, the occasion and the budget.