Manikomio DSGN plans first flagship store in Tokyo this year, crosses 200 stockists

Manikomio DSGN remains as creative as ever: the Forlì-based handbag brand founded in 2020 by Massimo Cabbia, which debuted with the ‘Aviator’s Kit Bag,’ continues to broaden the range of fabrics, designs, construction techniques, and materials used in its collections. “If you stand still today, you’ll never get anywhere. You always have to keep moving, constantly seeking out new materials, and forging ever-closer partnerships with research-focused companies- there are fewer of them, but those that remain give you the chance to express yourself with products that have real wow factor,” Massimo Cabbia tells FashionNetwork.com. “The important thing is to stay true to our DNA. It may look like we offer a huge number of bags, but in the end Manikomio DSGN is essentially a workshop for single-product concepts that we develop using ever-changing materials.”

For the upcoming Spring-Summer 2027 collection, the company has unveiled a towelling bag that might suggest a beach piece, but in reality it was conceived by Massimo Cabbia as a shopping bag with all the hallmarks of a highly visible, cool city accessory. Another new addition is “Mia,” a shopping bag made from denim, with 15 variants of contrasting coloured leather used on the handles, closures and trims to turn it into a model that stands out from the crowd. “Denim isn’t often used to make bags, but we’re deliberately outsiders, so we use it,” smiles the founder.

Everything — from the core concept to distribution- is devised and coordinated from the Forlì headquarters, while production takes place in the Tuscan manufacturing district, in workshops- spread across Florence and Prato, that also produce for major fashion houses.

There are also bags made from organic cotton, and a shopping bag- originally created for SS 2026 and confirmed for this year- made from a rug, onto which Manikomio DSGN screen-prints with a textured ink, in 19 colourways. At the brand’s stand at the latest Pitti Uomo (edition 110), bags bearing the words ‘Forte dei Marmi’ also took centre stage.

“Because we took part in the opening of a local shop that sells our bags, so we overprinted the name on them,” explains Cabbia. “These collaborations are working very well for us. We’ve also done one with Bagno Clan in Milano Marittima, the beach club owned by Arrigo Sacchi’s daughter. Then there’s the whole range of our classic, ongoing products, where we often add touches that show consideration for the planet. Let me give you an example: inside the handles and trims of many of our latest bags, there’s a black contrast detail. It’s carpet salvaged from trade fairs. People say trade fairs are no longer of any use. That’s not true- they’re useful for sourcing the carpet we put inside our bags…,” the entrepreneur jokes.

Retail prices for Manikomio DSGN, positioned in the mid- to high-end segment, range from 165–170 euros for a shopping bag to 500 euros for a leather bag in Italy’s colours. Other bags, such as those in crocodile leather, command higher prices, but these are one-off pieces made to specific requests.

“My view,” Cabbia adds, “is that we in the trade are increasingly looking for excuses not to believe that the market is changing, that the way people spend their money is different and that opportunities have shifted. In reality,” he continues, “customers are shopping much more carefully than before; they no longer let themselves be taken for a ride by the big brands and are seeking out products, like ours, that are niche but have character, quality and soul.”

There are now 200 multi-brand shops across some 30 countries in Europe and Asia selling Manikomio DSGN, which has begun a partnership in Japan. “By the end of the year, our local distributor will open a Manikomio DSGN flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo,” reveals Cabbia, “following several successful trials with pop-up shops inside department stores such as Hankyu Men’s in Osaka and Takashimaya in Tokyo. At present, Japan is our leading overseas market. In Italy, we generate around 50% of our turnover, followed by Spain and the European countries neighbouring Italy. 2025 will be a year of consolidation, characterised in part by adjustments to logistics and production, but 2026 looks set to be a year of growth.”

E-commerce sales are stable too, but Massimo Cabbia sees this channel more as a showcase for areas where Manikomio DSGN is not yet covered. 

“It is very encouraging that, despite this being a ‘blood, sweat, and tears’ moment, we are holding our ground and even expanding our reach, because among retailers Manikomio DSGN is not perceived as a product that overlaps with another, but as one that is missing from their assortment, thanks to a DNA with strong, distinctive features that make it recognisably original, with a space all its own,” the entrepreneur concludes.

“Many shop owners still view the handbag solely as the finishing touch to a collection. Add to that the fact that, at the moment, clothing lines are no longer selling as well as they used to… If, on the other hand, you, as a retailer, base your commercial strategy partly on accessories- which have no size or fit issues and are often continuative, like our product- then if you haven’t sold them now, you’ll sell them later; that’s a major advantage,” concludes Massimo Cabbia.