Objects for a Better Life: The Rimowa Design Prize

“Design is not for philosophy. It’s for life,” said Issey Miyake. And yet, life has always been philosophy’s deepest concern. In the words of Socrates, “not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.” So, what then, is the shape of a good life? And can design help us trace its outline? Perhaps design is philosophy made tangible—an attempt to cradle daily existence with care, to offer form to feeling.

Niels Cremer & Tom Kemter, Standalone

With the Rimowa Design Prize, the eponymous brand Rimowa is posing such questions with a competition aimed at rejuvenating German design. Inviting students from 39 partner universities across Germany to reflect on the theme of mobility, the Rimowa Design Prize pairs 21 semi-finalists with seven expert jury members, who provided guidance as mentors. In the end, seven projects were selected as finalists and the winner was announced at a ceremony in Berlin on May 13, 2025. An exhibition of the finalists is also on view, which includes innovative proposals for reimagined crutches, redesigned hand trucks, and devices to help dementia patients find their way home. In the end, Elisabeth Lorenz and Marc Hackländer won with their wonderful project hottie.

This year’s jury included Niklas Bildstein Zaar, Nic Galway, Pierre Jorge Gonzalez & Judith Haase, Katharina Janku, Moritz Krueger, Ute Meta Bauer, and Dr. Mahret Ifeoma Kupka. Shane Anderson had the honor of speaking with the latter about the mentorship process and the purpose of good design.

Dr. Mahret Ifeoma Kupka

SHANE ANDERSON: Many of the other jury members are practicing architects or designers, but you’re a curator. Could you tell me a bit about your curatorial practice?

MAHRET IFEOMA KUPKA: I’m a curator at the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt and have been investigating what applied art means and how it moves between art, design, and crafts. One of the things I’m interested in is how the objects and things we create lead to the idea of a good life.

SA: Do you have a background in design?

MIK: I studied art and media theory as well as curatorial practice at the state University for Art and Design in Karlsruhe, which has always been a very interdisciplinary school. I was very interested in design. I was actually one of the first fashion bloggers as they were called back then. Later, I wrote my PhD on the democratization of fashion through blogging and how it shifted into the marketing and business aspect you see in influencers. I think what holds all of my interests together is this idea of a better life. I’m interested in all the strategies and objects that enable people to live together in a positive and inspiring way.

SA: Isn’t that the goal of design in general?

MIK: I would say all design products are about making life better or easier. That’s the basic idea. But that’s only where the discussion starts and questions arise. Like, for whom is it making life easier? Why do we need the object? How does it help create a utopian idea of society? If the design can withstand such questioning, then it really brings something new and is making a difference in this world, in this society, with all the challenges we’re facing.

SA: This feels very relevant to the Rimowa Design Prize. To me, all the finalists are interested in creating a better life and are all utopian in some ways.

MIK: For sure. And what I like about the Rimowa Design Prize is that its topic, mobility, can be interpreted in such a wide manner. The applicants I saw didn’t design suitcases, they all had these very interesting takes on what mobility is. This is also something I reminded them about during the mentorship process. I would ask them: Is your design enabling mobility or not?

Marius Kintzel and Julian Solmsdorff project, "TONBO"

Dr. Mahret Ifeoma Kupka mentoring finalist Jonas Kraemer

SA: How many projects did you mentor?

MIK: Three. But I could only choose one as a finalist. It wasn’t easy.

SA: What were the projects about?

MIK: One of the projects was by two German students who were really thinking about the whole institution of the hospital, which in German is called Krankenhaus—literally “house of sick people.” They were looking at the process of early mobilization in the intensive care units. It’s been scientifically proven that moving is beneficial for the recovery process even from the very beginning. The problem is that there usually isn’t enough staff at hospitals to assist in this. The question, then, was how can we enable movement in a safe way? So, they created this design that helps patients move more independently. But then, this was also embedded in their general desire to rethink health care. They wanted to create a nice environment where people could become healthy again. They started restructuring the hospital rooms, trying to get rid of the beeping, which is necessary in an emergency but unsettling for some people who are trying to recover. My one critique that the beeping and medical devices might also give a certain feeling of safety.

SA: Also for the health care professionals. If the vitals are beeping a certain way, then they don’t need to worry either.

MIK: Exactly. They then reinserted some of the beeping. I think it’s important that they thought about the whole system, and this feels relevant for their studies of Medical Design at university, but I kept trying to bring them back to the theme of mobility. The project I chose as a finalist felt a little bit closer to that.

SA: That’s Jonas Krämer’s app for people with dementia to navigate home, right?

MIK: Yes. And I mean, devices for dementia patients already exist. What was new about this one, however, is that it’s perhaps more suitable for digital natives as they grow older. It is maybe more similar to what they are used to. I have to say, I learned a lot during the one-on-one sessions with Jonas. He was also very responsive. As a mentor, I tried to give advice to all of them and push their own thinking process.

SA: How does the mentorship process work?

MIK: There was a pre-selection process and I was given five proposals by the Rimowa Design Prize team. I then had two weeks to read them and decide which of the three projects would become my mentees. We then had two one-on-one sessions with somewhere between four and six weeks between.

SA: Did you notice any overarching themes in the projects?

MIK: The tendency was related to health and well-being. Many of them have a connection to the medical field. For instance, another finalist designed a new device related to menstruation. Again, this isn’t a new idea but it’s bringing a new approach to an important topic that humans deal with.

Still of finalist Nick Geipel's project, "Layers"

SA: What happens after the prize? Do the participants try to make their ideas commercially viable or are they more idealistic?

MIK: I don’t think there’s one answer. I think some want the design to become reality and go into production. But some of the projects are very embedded in the student’s university work. Universities can act like playgrounds where you can explore ideas that maybe don’t lead to a product but that influence other ideas or concepts that do lead to a product.

SA: Which is also interesting. I mean, it’s often interesting when you look at the early and sometimes unpublished work of writers and see that all their major themes are already there, just in a rudimentary form.

MIK: Exactly. And these prizes are also great since they’re a way to put yourself out there and see whether something is interesting to others.

SA: In last year’s roundtable, they talked about how the Rimowa Design Prize was about giving back to Germany and making German design better. Right now, the participants are all from German universities but I’ve been told there’s the desire to open it up internationally, which is exciting. What was your interest in joining the jury for the prize?

MIK: There are several reasons. One is that I always respected Rimowa. I’ve been using their suitcases for years and always liked the idea of buying one suitcase that works for a lifetime and has parts that can be easily replaced. It matches up with what I meant about good design. Rimowa suitcases are something that accompany you on your way.

Another reason is that I like working with students. I’ve taught here and there over the last couple of years and was just a guest professor at the Städelschule here in Frankfurt. Before that, I taught design theory and I really enjoy exploring how theoretical knowledge influences the design process. I really like talking about how the students perceive; how they get inspired and create something out of an engagement with theory. I like how theory and practical work come together and influence each other. So, that was why I seized the opportunity to mentor the students—even though the word mentorship is weird to me.

SA: Why?

MIK: Because it suggests that I know how things should be done and then I mentor students in that direction. To me, it’s a more of a dialogic situation. They talk then I talk. It’s more of a meeting eye to eye even though I’m older, have more experience, and a broader network.

SA: But isn’t that the difference between a good mentor and a bad mentor? To me, a bad mentor will try to push someone in their direction rather than considering the mentee’s journey and what they’re trying to accomplish.

MIK: Exactly. I’m always interested in their stories—where they come from, where they want to go, how they want to develop. I always want to see how I can be of use. And this was something where I saw the opportunity to really contribute.