The art of travel is what Rimowa has always done best. Now, the luxury luggage maker, which was founded in 1898, is celebrating that glamorous, storied history with an eye to the future by launching “Blueprints from the Metaverse,” a collection of NFT artworks.

For the collection, which is a first for a luxury brand, Rimowa partnered with Nuova, a multidisciplinary design practice, to create one-of-a-kind objects that conjure up an era of classic airline travel, while simultaneously imagining the look and feel of the next generation.  

“With this collaboration, we were given carte blanche to create works that showcased Rimowa’s legacy of craftsmanship but in a radically new context,” said Rodrigo Caula, the co-founder of Nuova. “As we explored different narratives of where the future of travel could take us, it felt fitting that this collection uses breakthrough blockchain technology that is transforming the way we interact with art and design, and how it is accessed and valued.”

The Rimowa x Nuova glass service cart is a mobile dinner service cart with compartments to store 18 serving trays.

The result is four retro-futuristic physical art and design objects—a food cart, a lamp, a sound system, and a table—which each draw elements from the brand’s rich design heritage including signature touches like Rimowa’s grooved aluminum paneling and leather handles. 

These, in turn, have been transformed into digital art NFTs, which will be auctioned off on May 18 for 24 hours on the marketplace Rarible. With the auction of each NFT, Rimowa is offering a complimentary piece of memorabilia from its collection. A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to a nonprofit focused on humanitarian issues.