These Gorgeously Stylish Work Bags Are Europe’s “Best Kept Secret”
In my search for the perfect, stylish (but still practical!) work bag, I came across this women-founded, women-owned startup from Belgium.
Their collection of stunning, handmade, real leather work bags is making big waves in Europe – having sold over £2,000,000 of bags in the last year alone!
Read on to discover why women from London to Paris, to Milan, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney are saying these bags are their “best kept secret”...
Frustrated with work bags that look beautiful, but can barely hold your wallet and phone, let alone a laptop?
Or bags that are sturdy and practical... but look more like plane luggage or a “mom bag” than an accessory?
You’re not alone!
If you’re like me, whenever you leave the house, you need to take along:
- your laptop
- your phone
- a notebook
- some pens
- your wallet and keys
- a water bottle
- your makeup
- lunch or a snack
- phone and laptop charger cables
- sunglasses
- and even a light jacket or sweater (in the fall or early spring)
But trying to fit all of that into just one bag?
One bag that you need to carry around with you all day long?
It was impossible!
And I for one, was fed up with bags that didn’t help me keep my things organised
I was tired of using fabric bags (and sometimes even ziplocs) to keep my pens, my makeup, my earphones, and my phone charger all separate from each other.
I was tired of not being able to find what I was looking for, when I needed it. From my car keys buried at the bottom of my bag, to my charger cable that I was sure had just vanished into thin air...
But no matter what, I couldn’t find a bag that truly fit everything in it AND looked good at the same time.
But maybe... I was being too hard to please?
Then one day, I came across a stunning bag I’d never seen before
And I know this sounds cliché but the second my eyes locked on the KAAI Midi Pyramid Bag it was love at first sight.
Its clean, pure, minimalist lines caught my attention at first.
But the more I researched it, it wasn’t long before I realised this work bag didn’t just look beautiful.
It was practical and functional too!
The KAAI Midi Pyramid Bag
Yes, every single Midi Pyramid Bag has been meticulously handcrafted to be elegant, strong, and super practical.
From its smooth leather outside to its rich, yet soft, blue velvet suede interior.
Look how organized everything is! It’s a dream come true
This is a bag you can take with you from home to work to anywhere else. Day after day after day. Without it ever falling apart.
It comes with reinforced handles to carry the weight of a laptop and (and everything else!) easily without digging into your shoulder.
And it comes with a super reinforced base and tiny metal feet on the bottom so your laptop will never hit the ground (and your bag won’t get dirty) when you set it down.
They thought of every single tiny detail to make this the world’s most perfect work bag – like the tiny metal “feet” on the base to stop your laptop from hitting the ground
And it has a sturdy zipper closure to keep everything tucked in safely and securely at the top…
As you can see, they literally thought of everything.
Excited (and to admit it, enchanted) by the Pyramid Bag, I reached out to KAAI’s co-founders, Ine Verhaert and Helga Meersmans, to ask them a few questions…
“I have to ask, what inspired you to create this gorgeous, but practical, work bag?”
Helga: Well, long before Ine and I started KAAI, my corporate job required me to travel to London a lot for work.
I was taking the plane, taking the tube, taking taxis, and walking from my hotel to the office and back again. And all the time I had to drag my whole life with me in a few bags.
But no matter how hard I looked in London and Paris, I couldn't find a bag that was beautiful and stylish, but at the same time practical enough to take everywhere.
It simply didn’t exist!
Entirely designed in-house by Helga M.
Ine: And we thought, there must be other women like us out there. Women that need to be organised as they run from home to the office and back again, but who want to feel stylish while they do it.
“There must have been other women like us out there – who need to run from the office to lunch to home, but who want to feel stylish while they do it”
So we went and surveyed and interviewed hundreds, literally hundreds, of women all over the world, asking them:
- What they wished their work bag could do (not get stained, match with every outfit, was timeless and classic)
- What pockets they really needed inside their bag (not just for pens and lip gloss! But also for their laptop, a charger cable, phone, wallet, and an umbrella or water bottle)
- What was most important to them (they could zip it up, that it wouldn’t sag, and that it wouldn’t get dirty if they put it on the floor)
Afterwards, Helga and I took this feedback and our pattern-making skills, and experimented with hundreds of designs.
It took us two full years to come up with the perfect prototype, source the right leather, and start producing it.
But if you ask our customers? It was well worth the wait, because they are thrilled with their Pyramid Bags.
The amazing women who helped us create “the world’s most perfect work bag” no longer have to compromise on style or beauty just to be practical.
“I see what they mean! I love that it has so many compartments and pockets”
Ine: Of course! Being able to have everything just within reach is so important. It’s so frustrating having to search through your bag every single time you want to find your keys or your phone.
Helga: With the Midi Pyramid, you’ve got your pen in a little slot. Your lip gloss in another slot. Your sunglasses, your phone, your wallet, your sunglasses – everything has its own little slot or place in the bag.
You never have to take everything out of your bag to find what you need. You can just reach in, grab it, and keep on going.
“But what about the laptop? How can someone know that their laptop will 100% fit in the bag?”
Helga: Right! So we know it can be hard choosing a bag when you can’t see it in a store.
But this is why we include detailed sizing charts for all our bags, showing exactly what size and brands of laptops can fit in each and every type of bag. We also always recommend measuring the longest side of your laptop simply with a ruler instead of working with Inches.
Like that you won’t accidentally end up with a bag that doesn’t fit your laptop!
This is a bag you can love and use for years and years without it showing any signs of wear or tear – or it looking old.
“What about the cost? Because I’ll be honest, it’s not a cheap bag”
Ine: Yes, a KAAI bag isn’t cheap as it costs about the same as an iPhone.
But you would replace your iPhone faster (or it would break faster) than you would ever replace a KAAI Midi Pyramid Bag!
Every single bag is handcrafted to the highest European standards with an exceptional attention to details and finishing.
Because unlike the stitching on clothes or even luxury leather bags, which can have differences of 2-5 mm…
The Midi Pyramid Bag comes in multiple elegant colors that work with everything and during all seasons
...for the KAAI Midi Pyramid Bag, every stitch has to be 100% perfect.
Because even a movement of half a millimeter means the laptop won’t fit in the laptop compartment!
Helga: Also, these bags are made from 100% premium Italian leather sourced from a single tannery in Italy.
This tannery uses an innovative technology that makes the leather scratch-proof, water-proof, and UV resistant.
So if the bag gets wet or dirty, you can simply wipe it or dry it with a cloth. And it instantly looks as good as the day you unboxed it.
“With two stores already in Europe, will you open a UK store anytime soon?”
Helga: We’d love to open up a location in the UK! We have two locations in Belgium – our studio store in Antwerp, and our flagship store in Brussels.
It’s a work in progress. For now, we do have a selection of the collection at Claudia Sebire in London.
Ine: Claudia Sebire is a great place to feel the quality of our leather and try out some bags. In case you'd like another colour or style they don't offer in-store, you can shop them online. We offer free shipping and take the import taxes on us. Meaning there are no additional surprises or charges for your UK order.
Our bags ship directly from Belgium, they usually arrive within 2-4 business days from the time you order them.
In case the bag doesn't meet your expectations, we offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
Helga: We get emails and messages all the time from happy women in London, Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney.
They all say that the pictures don’t do the bag justice at all – that the Midi Pyramid Bag is even more beautiful and luxurious in real life.
And best of all, it’s more practical and useful than they ever imagined.
After speaking with Ine and Helga, I was convinced
I ordered my very own Midi Pyramid Bag shortly after. And just like they said, it arrived in 3 business days from the day I ordered it.
And they were right! It was even more stunning in real life than the pictures.
I now take it everywhere with me. I can’t imagine leaving home without it.
Everything fits in. It’s stylish and elegant, and it makes me feel like I’m finally in control of my life.
Because I know exactly where everything is, 100% of the time. I never have to worry about forgetting something or not being able to find what I need at the exact moment I need it.
Please take my advice!
So if you’ve ever struggled with switching between multiple bags, not being able to find your things when you need, or dreaded being stuck with an “ugly” work bag forever...
Then please take my advice and check out the Pyramid Bags on KAAI’s official website.
Not only will you be supporting a by-women, for-women startup, but with their free shipping (taxes included for UK) and 30 day money back guarantee you literally have nothing to lose.
