Rethinking Mobility

From their beginnings in Germany, luggage brand RIMOWA has dedicated itself to creating the companions to our journeys, focusing on the use of technically innovative materials and honed design practices. The introduction of a (now iconic) aluminium design in the 1920s revolutionised how we travelled around the world, and they have continued to push the boundaries of luggage with the first-ever polycarbonate design in the early 2000s, and collaborations with Rick Owens and GEWA, to name just a few. Now part of the LVMH group since 2017, RIMOWA is intent on supporting the next generation of designers.

Founded in 2023, the RIMOWA Design Prize platforms emerging, forward-thinking students from an extensive network of German universities. Recently, the third-annual Design Prize ceremony was held at Berlin’s Gropius Bau, marking the culmination of a month’s-long student competition. This year’s brief tasked students with exploring mobility, and how it can shape a more adaptable and human-centered world. Through a two-month mentorship and examinations by a jury of industry experts, seven projects emerged as the finalists.

First prize went to Elisabeth Lorenz and Marc Hackländer from Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd for Hottie — a discreetly wearable device that merges heat therapy and TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) technology to ease menstrual discomfort. Their work stood out for its improvement on the user’s well-being and addressing menstrual stigma. 

Niels Cremer and Tom Kemter of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar were given a special mention for their submitted project, Standalone. A re-imagining of the forearm crutch that expands beyond limited misconceptions of mobility aid, it utilizes fold-out legs so the crutch can stand independently without the need to be held. The design acknowledges the need for this mobility aid to be more customizable and user-friendly. 

Amongst the other finalists included fellow Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students Marius Kintzel and Julian Solmsdorff with TONBO, a lightweight and functional rework of the hand truck through an aluminium and carbon fiber design. TONBO enforces smoother navigation amongst various types of terrain and is able to lift up to 100kg. Compath from Folkwang Universität der Künste student Jonas Krämer, is a wearable assistance tool that supports users with dementia, enhancing mobility and safety. Krämer’s design provides both the wearer and care giver with a compassionate sense of control and dignity through reminders, guidance, and emergency assistance when needed. 

Memento by Sophie Ludwig stores and displays curated memories of loved ones through a gentle and minimalistic design. Users connect to the device through an app to digitally memorialize photos, videos, and music for easy access. The cAir Pin from Jan Stackfleth of the Hochschule Anhalt provides a real-time analysis of the user’s surrounding air quality and assesses how they can approach their current environment. Stackfleth’s goal in this design is to educate the individual on properly maintaining respiratory health and overall addressing the global air pollution crisis. 

Each of the seven finalists were awarded with monetary prizes, with first place given €20,000 and the special mention given €10,000. The five additional finalists received €5,000 each, which rounded out a night that reinforced the power of design to move us—literally and ideologically—into the future.

Find out more about the prize and its finalists here