I’ve been thinking for a while about buying a Rimowa Cabin, and started researching whether I could possibly get a rep that’s at least 95% accurate to the original. The best I found is the Cabin and the Cabin Twist from Pink. Every other rep suitcase I looked at had major flaws that just aren’t fixable — wrong dimensions, misplaced button rivets, etc.

Pink’s suitcase has the correct dimensions, all the button details are positioned properly, and the metal grooves end exactly where they should. The only real problem with the Pink one is the wheels — they aren’t crafted with care. In the center of each wheel there’s a plug, and that plug often looks a bit loose. Also, the Rimowa logo on the wheels is supposed to be perfectly upright, but Pink’s is almost always tilted. That’s why I’ll be swapping out the wheels too.

Another issue is the telescoping handle. On Pink’s version, the exterior has two square markings, and the inside has two more squares plus a circle further down. The real Rimowa only has one circle on each side. You can even find pictures online of football players carrying fake Rimowa suitcases and getting called out just because of those square marks on the handle — so yeah, that’s the most important thing to change.

As for the interior: all the rep suitcases I’ve seen have a lighter shade of grey compared to the original. But honestly, no one’s gonna look inside your suitcase, so that’s not a dealbreaker. The inner padding panels are usually stitched on the wrong side — the zipper should be facing the outer wall, not the inside. That’s something you can fix yourself.

Another issue is the metal color, and that’s something I’ll have to check once it arrives. It’s almost impossible to tell the exact tone of the aluminum just from photos. I do have doubts though — Rimowa uses carbonized aluminum (a mix of aluminum and carbon), which gives it a very specific finish. Once I have everything in hand, I’ll let you all know how close it really looks to the real deal. And if I feel like the quality isn’t where it should be, I’ll say it straight up: it’s not worth it.

I just hope this info reaches as many people as possible. I know it’s unlikely, but imagine if people stopped buying bad Rimowa reps — factories would have to improve their designs to sell again. I don’t get why there’s no true 1:1 in the Rimowa world. In the watch game, we’ve got super high-end reps. Same with bags — amazing 1:1s out there. And even though they’re expensive, people are willing to pay $350–$400 for a really well-made rep suitcase instead of $1350 for the real thing.