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 BAG
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.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
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.
Building the brand was not straightforward. There were moments of doubt, external scepticism and the particular kind of pressure that comes with backing an idea before anyone else believes in it. Karim credits those difficulties with shaping the brand’s deeper meaning.
“Out of Office represents the courage to keep going, even when things feel uncertain. It’s about backing yourself, pursuing your goals and creating the life you want, not just the life that looks productive on paper.” says Zakiya.
The brand’s name carries double weight. On one level, it is a status message most people know intimately. On the other hand, it is a quiet instruction: to actually leave. To live the life that exists outside of deadlines, inboxes and the relentless pressure to produce. Out of Office was designed as a product and a philosophy in equal measure, a daily reminder, carried on your shoulder, that who you are beyond work is worth protecting.
WHY NOW
South Africans are navigating an increasingly demanding convergence of professional ambition, personal wellness, social connection and constant movement. The bag market has not kept pace. Options skew heavily towards overtly sporty, corporate or fashion-first designs that serve one context well and every other context poorly.
Out of Office fills a genuine gap: a locally made, design-led carry-all that refuses to compromise on either form or function, at an accessible premium price point. It is made in Cape Town for those who move through Cape Town – and beyond.
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.
