That’s right, he created a handbag. But the 1960s Dieter Rams handbag wasn’t a mass market product. Far from it.
In fact, just one of these designs was made in the 1960s – and it was a very personal affair.
In 1963, the iconic German designer, the man behind an endless stream of iconic designs in consumer electronics and beyond, as well as the influence behind most modern-era Apple designs, designed and made just one of these for his wife Ingeborg.
Almost by accident, it became the most sought-after Rams design due to its uniqueness and the fact that it never went into production either then or later. Well, until now, that is.
55 years on and Esther Schulze-Tsatsas and Dimitrios Tsatsas, the people behind German accessories manufacturer Tsatsas, managed to convince Dieter Rams to allow them to get it into production.
‘They were both very pleasant people who endeavoured to produce good and enduring designs,’ he said, ‘which is why I agreed to the re-edition of what is essentially a very private design’.
The new and handcrafted bag is simply known as the 931 and is made of a calfskin leather in a choice of black or ‘concrete’ (which is another way of saying grey) and with a detachable shoulder strap, blue nappa leather interior, an internal zip fastening pocket, two small internal pockets and a pocket mirror with leather case. Each one also comes with its own serial number for added exclusivity too.
The design is as minimalist as you would imagine and perhaps because of that, it really does transcend time. Yes, it is a design of the 1960s. But it could be a design of pretty much any era since.
Of course, something if such quality and uniqueness is not going to come cheap. If you want one, you can buy it directly from German maker Tsatsas right now, selling for €900.
