The story behind a one-of-a-kind Dieter Rams handbag, reborn by German leather brand Tsatsas

In 1963, Dieter Rams designed a leather handbag as a gift for his wife, Ingeborg. ‘A very private design,’ he described the accessory, which for almost half a century existed in an edition of one, out of reach from even the most diehard of collectors. True to form, its design was meticulous – a sharply defined leather shell with a simple top handle, evocative of those used to house electronics (Rams was collaborating with German manufacturer Braun at the time; the design was born from prototying leather cases for shavers).

Many of these prototypes were crafted in Offenbach am Main, a city just outside of Frankfurt, Germany which has long been synonymous with leatherwork. It is there, where Tsatsas – a leather goods company known for creating accessories with a sharp, architectural eye – was founded by Esther and Dimitros Tsatsas in 2012, building on the latter’s longstanding links with the region’s signature craft (Dimitros’ father ran a bag-making studio in Offenbach for several decades). In 2018, half a century after its original design, Rams allowed Tsatsas to recreate the ‘931’ bag for sale (he admired Esther and Dimitros’ approach, and saw the reissue as a chance to pay homage to Ingeborg).

‘We have used Dieter’s ‘Ten Principles for Good Design’ as guiding tenets [since we founded the brand],’ say the pair of their longtime admiration for Rams’ work. ‘For us, as an architect and an industrial designer, these principles formulated from the mid-1970s onwards resonate deeply with our design philosophy and are easy to reconcile with Dieter’s expectations of a product: creating timeless objects with a clear design language – enduring forms without any aesthetic expiry date.’ (The latter is proved by the way that the ‘931’ bag continues to look modern over 50 years since it was first created).

‘In 2018, Britte Siepenkothen, as trustee of the Rams Foundation, seeded the idea of collaborating with Tsatsas to bring the handbag to the market,’ they explain of the way the unique collaboration came about, a story currently being told in Vitsœ’s London store in a special exhibition to coincide with London Design Festival 2025 (UK-based Vitsœ was founded by Niels Vitsoe and Otto Zapf as a means to create Rams’ furniture designs). ‘Thanks to their invitation, we are able to tell the story behind 931 within the context of Dieter’s iconic Vitsœ products. For the first time, the exhibition will present the original ‘931’ bag, as well as some of his iconic designs for Braun, which unveil the crafting process.’

On its release, Wallpaper* awarded the bag a Design Award for ‘Best Belated Design’, praising its ‘highly practical’ design and adherence to Rams’ principle that design should be ‘thorough down to the last detail’. The Tsatsas version has just a few tweaks to the original design, including a detachable shoulder strap, magnetic fastening and blue nappa lining. ‘It is so reduced and simultaneously concise that it unavoidably calls to mind Rams,’ say the pair. ‘[But] while minimalist, it also has a hidden feminine part: when opening the bag, you discover a wide, easily accessible interior with beautiful details such as a pocket mirror and a special compartment for your lipstick.’

‘I designed this bag in the same way I designed everything else, so largely based on right angles, but perhaps a little more emotionally, more personally,’ says Rams himself, who earlier this week was awarded the World Design Medal 2025. ‘Designing a handbag is undoubtedly different to designing a Braun stereo system, but I applied the same principles. It had to be functional, visually durable, and very aesthetic. Less, but better.’

In Residence at Vitsœ, Tsatsas and the 931 bag, designed by Dieter Rams,runs at Vitsœ, London until 27 September 2025.

The ‘931’ bag is available at Tsatsas’ website.