Mamtak, a company based in both Amsterdam and Tokyo, creates a range of fashionable, high quality men’s and women’s bags. Each line is produced in limited numbers and remains exclusive in doing so. Mamtak is a family-owned company that’s both founded and owned by designers, whose bags “are for professionals who dare to distinguish”.
I tried to coordinate having the Aya bag delivered to a local address while recently on holiday in The Netherlands. Instead, Mamtak’s team were generous enough to send it over to Vancouver upon my return, as I didn’t want to chance the bag being damaged en route. The word AYA is Japanese for “colour” or “design”, according to the company’s website.
When I received the Aya, it came in a drawstring dust bag, its handles, accented leather pulls, and interior packaged to travel the distance. It’s almost too pretty to take out, and I took an immediate liking to the bag’s fantastic shape and size. It isn’t bulky, and its construction is sturdy, from the zippers to the interior sections and laptop compartment. The interior is a shade of burgundy that coordinates well with the exterior. The exterior zippered pockets (on both sides of the Aya) are easily accessible but safe enough to stow a smart phone or iPad.
Talk about a stylish way of porting a laptop, iPad, and other daily essentials. The Aya has long handles (great for carrying the bag over the shoulder), five small metal feet on the bottom to protect the leather, and several roomy pockets for storage.
It’s available in four colour schemes: White with green accents, pink (with shades of pink!), black (with shades of grey), and white (with magenta and grey accents).
This bag’s a definite show stopper; it’s just that cool. I only regret not having had enough time to visit the Amsterdam headquarters while I was in the country, in order to check out the rest of the product line in person.
The bag’s exterior is made of 100% genuine leather with a smooth surface that’s easy to clean with a light swipe of a damp cloth.
The padded computer compartment fits up to a 15″ laptop, but my 13″ Macbook Pro fits nestled on its side. The compartment has a large rounded velcro flap closure that just covers two open pockets in front of it.
I easily fit an Apple Magic mouse into one, and a notepad into the other. The other inside wall contains a zippered pouch that runs the width of the bag. And then there’s the rest of the interior, for all your other daily items. The Aya is the ultimate fashionista accessory and a perfect way to go out to town with or without a laptop or tablet. I plan to get a lot of use out of this bag, looking chic all the while.
Dimensions:
17.3″ (44 cm) wide x 12.9″ (33 cm) high x 4.9″ (12.5 cm) deep
The Aya retails for 139 Euros and can be shipped anywhere in the world (to the US and Canada for 10 and 17 Euros respectively).
