We all have our own wants and needs in our ideal bag – most are born from personal experience, making it all the more powerful. My must-haves are convenience, adaptability, and by god, those straps better not snap. PARSEL is proud to present the EVA Tote System, which transforms as you need it, and is built to last. Anyone that has carried a nice bag will tell you, it can sometimes be a hazard: precipitation, cab spray, and pets aside, beautiful leather goods require maintenance, time and care to keep in good condition. Not so with PARSEL. The system is completely waterproof, puncture-proof, and clearly resistant to ice cream.
If PARSEL sounds unusually thoughtful for a “bag,” that’s because they insist – politely but firmly – it isn’t one. It’s a modular carrying system born from a collective of design, fashion, and art luminaries who decided the world needed something better than the same-old catchall tote. At the helm is Nur Abbas, formerly of Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Yeezy, whose whole approach is about fusing technical performance with minimalist luxury. “We’re building something bigger than a product, we’re building a system,” Abbas says. “It’s about how people move, live, and express identity through what they carry. With PARSEL, we’re creating an evolving framework, not a fixed object.” Which explains why this tote feels less like an accessory and more like infrastructure.
It starts with an EVA tote featuring capsule-shaped handles on either side. The included strap locks into sleek side mechanisms – precision-engineered – giving you custom strap length wherever you happen to go. Last, and certainly not least, an unstructured nylon liner with a magnetic closure on the inside can be used either as intended or as a whole separate bag, doubling your carrying capacity. This system comes in three core colors – Deep, a dark charcoal gray; Optic, a light tan with cool undertones; and Priority, a bright crimson – with a bonus trio (Iris, Drift, and Gridlock) launching exclusively at Dover Street Market Ginza.
Extremely durable and built for the most rugged of jobs and lives, the PARSEL bag can handle just about anything and carry double what you came with, if that’s what’s necessary. The physical manifestations of the chaos and uncertainty we live in every day, like a makeup kit, first aid, or mini sudoku booklet complete with mini pencil (anyone?), can all just go in your bag, safe for later. A roll-top on the interior liner ensures everything stays safe from the elements, while the outer EVA shell gives you a level of protection that’s practically unheard of in luxury accessories. It’s all made from high-density EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate), 100% aluminum, and technical nylon webbing – materials you’d usually expect in high-performance gear, not in something chic enough to bring to lunch.
Reinforced with aluminum and technical nylon webbing, this bag is specifically constructed to be the last bag you might ever need. With aircraft-grade magnetic aluminum components, your stuff is completely secure inside the roll-top inner liner. Discreet labeling across the hardware – etched with “PARSEL SYSTEMS” – nudges you to remember this is not merely a tote; it’s a tool. To wrap it all up in a neat little bow, the straps are completely adjustable and replaceable, extending the life of the bag to as long as we want. With two smart sizes, S and XL, you can carry everything you might ever dream of in an indestructible, stylish tote.
And because PARSEL is thinking beyond the physical product, the brand’s entire visual identity is guided by photographer Roe Ethridge – yes, the one with work in MoMA and the Whitney. Ethridge will be shooting ongoing campaign imagery as well as a running visual diary capturing the system in real life: studio days, errands, travel, friends… basically all the situations where you’re grateful you brought a bag that won’t give up on you.
In other words, this isn’t a bag that matches your lifestyle. It adapts to it, evolves with it, expands for it, and makes your daily chaos look surprisingly put together. Utility, but make it expressive. Durability, but make it chic. A system, not a thing.
To learn more or to purchase the EVA Tote System from PARSEL, in S for $340 or XL for $480, visit parsel.com.
Photography by Roe Ethridge.