RIMOWA x Mykita: Indelicately Elegant German Engineering
RIMOWA x Mykita is a very German collaboration. Here, two local titans of industry split the difference, matching up shared codes across a spate of terribly sleek luxury eywear.
And it is all eyewear. Mykita has retooled classic sunglasses and enormous visor-style frames with RIMOWA's design language, not a suitcase in sight (for now — future collabs TBD).
"RIMOWA and Mykita are two quintessentially German brands," says Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, RIMOWA CEO. "This partnership celebrates the essence of German design and craftsmanship."
There really is something very German about it all. Both brands doggedly stick to hands-on manufacturing, refusing to shave off costs with outsourced labor or inferior materials. Instead, every piece of Mykita eyewear is handmade by Berlin artisans and all aluminum RIMOWA luggage is sculpted in-house within Cologne.
No corners cut, save for the terrifically sharp edges of RIMOWA's Mykita sunglasses.
"Both brands share a commitment to the technical precision of German engineering, with a focus on craftsmanship, attention to detail, purposeful design, and the use of lightweight materials," Bonnet-Masimbert continues.
"Both Mykita and RIMOWA own their manufacturing and share a commitment to material innovation and German craftsmanship," adds Moritz Krueger, Mykita founder. "It’s about so much more than aesthetics, it’s about pushing the boundaries of eyewear construction."
It's also about thoughtfully combining two into one, with each Mykita frame infused with RIMOWA's trademark aluminum, a first for Mykita. Tough, tasteful, and not really like anything you've ever worn on or around your eyes.
What's really amazing — and as a glasses-wearer, I do not say this lightly — is how satisfying Mykita's proprietary hinge design is to use. Actually, satisfying doesn't begin to cover it. It's hinge security like I've never felt before.
"We were drawn to Mykita because of our shared precision and durability, and that really shows in all the details," says Bonnet-Masimbert. "Just like our pieces, these glasses were built with mobility and versatility in mind, and are meant to accompany people on their journeys around the world."
And the fact that these little things, which seem so delicate, are actually tougher than any glasses you've ever touched? Wild.
When I spoke with Krueger, he demonstrated the strength of Mykita's bespoke 3D-printed Mylon tech, utilized here to secure the visor glasses' lenses, by twisting a Mylon frame like it was a pipe cleaner.
But, when he let go, the mangled arm instantly snapped back into shape, perfectly unaltered. Like RIMOWA, Mykita doesn't merely make beautiful things. It makes beautiful things for life. German engineering, baby.
"You see MYKITA’s identity in the construction, the precision engineering, the ultra-light stainless steel, and the way the frames are designed for a perfectly balanced fit," Krueger explains. "These are the details that define MYKITA’s approach: highly technical, incredibly lightweight, and always forward-thinking."
