London-based Nigerian artist Olaolu Slawn unveils his latest Rimowa collaboration, SLIMOWA, a bold incursion into luxury travel design. Shared via Instagram, the project channels Rimowa’s signature grooved aluminium through Slawn’s unmistakable visual world of satire, distortion, and raw, unruly expression.
A collision of luxury and street aesthetics
The Rimowa x Slawn collaboration pushes the German house’s precision-crafted suitcases into the language of graffiti, where structure meets expressive disorder. No release date has been announced, though the drop is expected to follow Slawn’s model of rare, tightly controlled editions.
The project overturns familiar expectations of luggage design, trading restraint for visual intensity and recasting functional objects as collectible works of art.
Olaolu Slawn and the language of controlled chaos
At the center of the collaboration is Olaolu Slawn’s practice, known for cartoonish figures, warped faces, and rapid, instinctive mark-making. His work often critiques luxury culture while existing inside it, holding irony and attraction in constant tension.
For SLIMOWA, Slawn paints directly onto Rimowa’s aluminum shells—layering bold primaries, exaggerated expressions, and spray-like gestures across the brand’s industrial grooves. The result is sharp, playful, and slightly abrasive, underscoring his place within contemporary visual culture.
Olaolu Slawn reflects on his rule-breaking approach to art, exploring freedom, identity, and the blurred boundaries between street culture, fashion, and contemporary painting in our thought-provoking interview.
Courtesy of OLAOLU SLAWN
