There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not from doing too much, but from carrying too much. The wrong bag for the gym. A work bag that won’t fit a yoga mat. A weekend bag that announces itself in every room. For Zakiyya Karim, Cape Town-based creative and founder of Out of Office, this was not a minor inconvenience; it was a daily reality that no bag on the market was solving. So she built one herself.
Out of Office launches its debut weekender-style duffle: a locally designed and produced multi-functional carry-all made for the full rhythm of a modern person’s life. One bag, engineered to move seamlessly between a Pilates class, a full workday, a shoot, a flight and a Friday night; without looking like it belongs in any single one of those places.
“I was constantly moving between work, shoots, gym, errands, travel and social plans, and I needed multiple bags just to get through one day. I wanted to solve that in a way that still felt considered, beautiful and lifestyle-driven,” says Zakiyya.
The Out of Office duffle is the brand’s first signature piece, minimal in design, deliberate in construction, and built around the specific demands of a life in motion. It is not a gym bag that tolerates work. It is not a work bag that is gym-ready. It is something genuinely new: a carry-all that belongs everywhere and announces itself nowhere.
Standout features include a hidden shoe compartment to keep footwear separate from clothing and gear, yoga mat straps with press studs for the fitness-first mornings, an internal bottle holder, waterproof inner lining, and spacious, well-organised compartments designed to hold a full day’s load without the bulk. The fabric is washable. The design is clean. And it is made entirely in Cape Town, a deliberate choice that reflects the brand’s commitment to local craft from the very first stitch.
Zakiyya Karim is a Cape Town-based creative and designer who spent years moving between worlds, work, shoots, travel, fitness, and social life, and noticed that no bag moved with her. The idea for Out of Office was practical in its origins, but became something far more personal in its making.
Out of Office is now available via the brand’s online store in colours Blank Page and Morning Coffee and retails for R1 999-00.
