Amid the homogeneity of the modern airport, there is always one thing that cuts through – that person with the aluminium case. One can’t help but notice it – those bevelled edges, the riveted silveriness of it, those eerily quiet wheels. In a universe of tired plastic luggage, the aluminium case is a beautiful alien, one that is as coveted by short-haul business warriors as much as dedicated fashionistas, and that’s because neatly packed into its chiselled contours is status – and everybody wants it.
In 1938, oil man and serial entrepreneur Erle P. Halliburton had grown so fed up with his leather and canvas bags disintegrating in the Texas oilfields that he commissioned aircraft engineers to fashion cases from lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminium – necessity, as always, the mother of ingenuity. Little did he know the result would become a style statement.
Almost 90 years later, Zero Halliburton is still going strong. Besides looking good, aluminium’s advantages are self-evident: feather-light (sub 5kg for most carry-ons) yet tough as they come, while hermetically sealing your belongings. In short, not just a pretty face. On these pages, the finest iterations that money can buy.
Italian atelier FPM Milano brings a subtly retro sensibility to its Bank collection, thanks to designer Marc Sadler. Mini studs and rounded contours are complemented by handles wrapped in butter-soft Italian leather. Among the customisation options, laser etching on the aluminium.
Teutonic precision is writ large in this case, with its grooved panels inspired by the fuselage of all-metal aircraft. With TSA-approved locks and a Multiwheel® System barely audible to bats, let alone humans, you’ll find the Rimowa in the hands of CEOs and K-pop stars alike.
A distinctly British take on the aluminium case, Carl Friedrik’s iteration features a ribbed anodised aluminium shell with leather trims. Inside, the tactile refinement continues with a compartmentalised liner, all of which is silently carried away on Japanese-made ball-bearing wheels.
Heritage aluminium case maker Zero Halliburton has used its decades of expertise to create a minimalist marvel that eschews grooves and ridges for a smooth, no-nonsense exterior – without a sharp corner in sight. Its double‐rib pattern also adds stylish reinforcement.
In collaboration with Milan-based Bric’s, Porsche Design pays homage to the 911 Targa with its Roadster Aluminum collection. The cases feature a stamped aluminium shell on a stabilising frame for a clean, rivet-free design, with ball-bearing wheels riffing on Carrera alloys.