The RIMOWA Vitra Stool Is Clever Storage and an Awkward Chair

The Stool is a grooved aluminium storage box on RIMOWA Multiwheels with an upholstered top that detaches. That combination makes it easy to reposition and useful as a compact side object, but wheels and a small cushion do not turn it into ergonomic all-day seating. Its three pairings—Silver with Ice Blue, Papyrus or Emerald—treat upholstery as the visible Vitra contribution.

The Toolbox begins with Arik Levy’s familiar 2010 organiser, normally moulded in recycled plastic. The collaboration replaces that body with anodised aluminium and lines compartments in recycled fabric. This is a clearer translation: the object is still picked up, set down and filled with tools or desk equipment, while the metal makes the act of containment feel deliberate rather than adding a second furniture category.

• Stool: storage, mobility and occasional seating
• Toolbox: a known organiser remade in rigid aluminium

RIMOWA formed the grooved aluminium components at its Cologne operation. Vitra produced the upholstered elements at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein. That manufacturing split is the best justification for the collaboration: each company handled material it routinely develops, and the final assembly makes those contributions legible without relying on a printed co-brand.

The release was finite. RIMOWA listed 1,000 Stools at €2,200 and 100 Toolboxes at €550, while Vitra Japan later documented its local allocation and sold-out status. The launch installation occupied Zaha Hadid’s Fire Station until 27 June 2025. Those dates and RRPs belong to the original release; neither proves current stock or sensible resale value.

• Edition sizes: 1,000 Stools and 100 Toolboxes
• Launch context: Vitra Campus, 18–27 June 2025

The Stool’s storage is real, yet a wheeled case with a cushion asks owners to accept compromises in seat height, back support and stability that a purpose-built stool avoids. Its €2,200 RRP also places it among serious furniture whose comfort can be evaluated over years. It is an engaging hybrid, not the obvious answer to any room’s seating problem.

Our verdict: the €550 Toolbox is the stronger design because its premium material intensifies an existing function. The Stool is interesting evidence of two industrial systems meeting, but its best role is mobile storage with the occasional perch—not a desk chair and certainly not ride-on luggage. Collectors should verify numbering and condition; users should judge scratched aluminium and compressed upholstery as furniture wear, not investment damage.

• Best design: Aluminium Toolbox
• Best description of the Stool: mobile storage with a seat, not ergonomic seating