This year, no summer bummers allowed — not with Rimowa’s sun-injected Mint and Papaya capsule, and especially not with the celebrity turn-out at its recent Seoul soiree.
The temperatures are slowly climbing, which can only mean one thing: summer is coming in hot — “hot” being the keyword for Rimowa’s latest launch party in Seoul. With a guestlist that included the likes of storied F1 racer Lewis Hamilton, idol royalty (Rosé of Blackpink joined industry veterans Baekhyun and Xiumin from EXO) and dashing Thai actor Mile Phakphum, Rimowa left little doubt that “hot” would be the correct keyphrase for its Seoul soiree.
On the agenda was an inauguration like no other. To release a seasonally-apt curation of Mint and Papaya trunks under the label’s polycarbonate Essential line, the house looked toward beachfront strolls and sticky ice-cream situations — all recollective of a splashin‘ summer. Sweet pastel greens and corals took the centre stage for this season’s colours in focus — finding their way onto cabins and trunks. As inspired by the colours of the tropics — Miami, to be specific — the new line-up of Essential tones are refreshingly vibrant. A sharp detour from the standard tones of greys and blacks that one might spot over again at an airport’s carousel, the latest launch perfectly encapsulates the mixed mood of pre-destination travel. Anticipation, excitement, and vitality are just some terms that come to mind when thinking of a getaway, and when picturing the new Mint and Papaya releases.
Making its world premiere for the first time in Seoul, the launch party was sizable. The sheer scale of the collection’s inauguration could be comparable to that of the life-sized papaya which rested in the centre of the space. Covered in a chrome coating that recalled that of the label’s emblematic aluminium trunks, it stood squarely in the centre of a trunk-lined room, steadfast in hosting and foregrounding the sheer celebrity that came next.
To be clear: there has always been fanfare when it comes to Rimowa’s hardy, dependable, and sleek baggage. Be it grooved aluminium or high-performance polycarbonate, the Cologne-hailing trunkmakers have always had its fair share of loyalists, if not fans. But for the occasion, the label saw a union of multiple fandoms, thanks to its A-list invitees. Fans flooded the exteriors of the showspace just for a quick glimpse of their bias(es) — see Rowoon alongside SEVENTEEN, EXO and TREASURE members. Below, restart the inner fan within, and re-see all the celebrity guests out at Rimowa’s Mint and Papaya event in Seoul.
Mile Phakphum
Rosé of Blackpink
Baekhyun of EXO
Xiumin of EXO
Wonwoo of SEVENTEEN
S.Coups of SEVENTEEN
Rowoon
Junkyu of TREASURE
Haruto of TREASURE
Lewis Hamilton
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