Zeitgeist messenger bag is the first leather bag I ever designed. In other words, it’s Domus Novem’s first product.
I had spent countless hours to find the perfect bag for my need to no avail. The thing is, what I need is not that much. So, it’s quite frustrating that I couldn’t find any messenger bag that match with my simple criteria.
What I need is just a simple bag made of leather, big enough to carry things for my daily activities: You know, laptop, notes, books, stationery and stuffs like that. It also has to be versatile. Meaning, I can take it to meet friends and clients alike. Not too casual nor formal (my clients are not the suited corporate type anyway). Just right there in between.
Many briefcases/leather laptop bags out there are just too formal to my needs and taste. Too stiff. Too tax lawyer-y… while others are too smalls (not even fit a 14″ laptop) or too casual (mixed with canvas).
Necessity is the mother of all invention they said, so, there I was, thinking that the only way for me to have the bag that I need–the ultimate messenger bag–is to design one by myself.
As you can see–based on my simple needs–the bag design is pretty straightforward. No fancy buckles, no unnecessary pockets, no bullshit. The looks aren’t too polished either. However, it’s formal enough that even when the leather edges are raw and the stitches were left as they are (bare, without folding the leather), a lawyer can still sport the bag to meeting with clients without the feeling that he/she being too casual.
With the dimension of 40 cm x 31 cm x 12 cm, roughly 16″ x 12″ x 5″, it’s big enough to carry all my needs and still it has rooms for some (my kid’s diaper and milk bottles for example).