Japanese studio Nendo has designed a collection of handbags made from a single sheet of laser-cut leather. Created for Italian online platform Up To You Anthology, the bag can be distributed completely flat before being assembled by the customer at home. Because of its form, the bag has been named after the Japanese word “ichi-mai”, which translates to “one sheet”.
“The brand is unique in that it is not limited to professional designers and is open to design proposals from anyone, and provides total support from product development to manufacturing management and online distribution,” said Nendo founder Oki Sato about the company.
Oki Sato designed the handbag to be assembled easily, without any tools. Customers can fold and assemble it into a three dimensional bag, just by joining a few rivets through the holes of the bag. According to the Japanese studio, this simplified the manufacturing process and minimized inventory and shipping cost, allowing a rich collection of various colours, sizes and shapes.
The Mai bag is available in a range of different sizes and colors, including mustard yellow, dark brown, khaki and teal, achieved by dying the leather with a plant-derived tannin.
This is not the first time Nendo has ventured into bag design. Previously the Japanese studio created a bag for luxury accessories brand Tod’s which is specifically suited to architects.