What Happens When a Bag's Inside Becomes Its Outside - Yanko Design

"Created through a collaboration between Tokyo-based design studio Nendo and leather artisans Bag Makers Tokyo, MAQL is constructed from a single laminated piece of leather with grain leather on one side and suede on the other. The entire structure emerges from a process of strategic folding and peeling, where the rim is turned back on itself to gradually reveal what becomes the exterior surface and handles."

"The name comes from makuru, meaning "to peel, to reveal" in Japanese, and that action is visible in every part of the bag's construction. Where the leather rolls back, you see both textures at once: the smooth, structured grain leather meeting the softer suede underneath. The handles aren't attached separately. They're continuous with the body, formed by the same peeling motion that creates the bag's opening."

"What makes the design compelling is how it plays with the idea of inside versus outside. Traditionally, a bag's interior is something you only see when you open it, a hidden space with different materials and construction than what's visible to the world. MAQL eliminates that boundary. The suede that would typically be tucked away as lining becomes part of the exterior surface."

MAQL is a handbag designed as a sculptural object through collaboration between Tokyo design studio Nendo and leather artisans Bag Makers Tokyo. Constructed from a single laminated leather piece with grain leather on one side and suede on the other, the bag emerges through strategic folding and peeling processes. The name derives from the Japanese word makuru, meaning to peel or reveal. The design eliminates traditional distinctions between interior and exterior by making both textures visible simultaneously. Handles are continuous with the body rather than separately attached, and exposed stitching marks transitions between surfaces. The construction reveals the entire process of its making, with no hidden seams or disguised elements.

Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News