Collections/Bloem

Signature · Shoulder

Bloem

Afrikaans — 'flower'

€4,100

The Bloem forest-charcoal gemsbok asymmetric hobo, three-quarter view, showing the overlapping petal panels and the MBALI Gold Nugget at the front seam termination

The sculptural statement of the collection: soft enough to settle naturally under the arm, yet structured enough to hold its distinctive curved silhouette.

Bloem is the piece where the house lets the line do the talking. Overlapping petal panels move across the body like a protea opening, each seam turning the light a little differently, while the single padded handle keeps the bag comfortable for a full day under the arm. The forest-charcoal gemsbok leather is dense and disciplined — it takes the asymmetric curve and keeps it — and shifts subtly between deep green, graphite and black as the light changes. Gold hardware is kept restrained: two studs, a pivot at each end of the handle and a recessed curved zip. The canonical House of MBALI Gold Nugget closes the front seam, set into a hand-cut recess rather than applied to the surface.

All MBALI metal components — chains, rings, buckles, sliders and feet — are brass with a 24-carat gold-plated finish.

Vegetable-tanned in small batches by a specialist tannery selected for this particular hide. The process develops tonal depth and strength while preserving the natural grain and markings of the animal.

Specification
  • Exterior — Full-grain African game hide, vegetable-tanned with bark-derived tannins, including African acacia and mimosa/wattle extracts
  • Hardware — Gold-plated solid-brass studs and pivots with a recessed curved metal zip; canonical 24-carat gold-plated MBALI Nugget at the front seam termination
  • Making — One lead artisan is responsible throughout — hide assessment, cutting, shaping, principal seams saddle-stitched, edges built and burnished, hardware set
  • Record — Piece serial struck on the reverse of the seal and linked to its Hide Origin ID
  • 34 × 29 × 11 cm
  • Approximate capacity 8.2 litres
  • Finish forest charcoal
  • Hardware 24-carat gold-plated brass
  • Closure recessed curved metal zip
  • Single padded handle, shoulder or under-arm carry
  • Every piece individually numbered and linked to its Hide Origin ID in the MBALI Origin Register
  • Product code BLO-HO-340-FCH-24K
Making & delivery

Ten to sixteen weeks from confirmation, then insured express delivery worldwide.

Prices exclude import duties and local taxes. Some countries restrict the import of game leather; we confirm this before taking your order.

Why the time matters

Every MBALI piece is made to order. The estimated ten-to-sixteen-week period allows the selected hide to be conditioned and mapped to the pattern, its tone to be completed, and each panel to be cut, shaped, saddle-stitched, fitted and finished under the responsibility of one lead artisan.

The finished piece is then inspected, individually numbered and entered into the MBALI Origin Register before insured delivery.

We confirm the expected completion date when your hide and allocation are approved. We do not shorten the process by substituting an anonymous hide or a pre-made body.

Origin Commission

The requested hide is not presently held in the MBALI register. You may request an Origin Commission, through which a suitable hide is identified through an approved wildlife-management programme, documented, tanned and reserved specifically for your piece. The schedule is confirmed before the commission is accepted.

How an Origin Commission works

Returns & care

Cancel in full any time before cutting begins. Unpersonalised pieces may be returned within 14 days; personalised pieces cannot be returned unless faulty.

We restore any piece we have made, quoted in writing beforehand.

Authentication & resale

The serial struck on the reverse of the seal is linked to the Hide Origin ID of the material this piece was cut from. Send us the serial and we will confirm the hide origin, the tannery, the maker and the date it left the bench.

Ownership can be transferred in the register free of charge, so a resold piece keeps its provenance. MBALI does not deal in the resale market and does not appraise resale values.

About the Gold Nugget

Tones — 4 available

  • Forest Charcoal
  • Deep Green
  • Graphite
  • Black
Availability
Made to Order
Next step
Begin Configuration
Lead time
Ten to sixteen weeks from confirmation
Made in
Made in Cape Town, South Africa
Hide
Gemsbok Oryx, full-grain, forest charcoal
Hardware
Gold-plated solid-brass studs and pivots with a recessed curved metal zip; canonical 24-carat gold-plated MBALI Nugget at the front seam termination
Price
€4,100

Made to order · Estimated completion 10–16 weeks

Your hide is conditioned and mapped to the pattern, the tone completed, and every panel cut, shaped, saddle-stitched and finished under one lead artisan before the piece is numbered and registered. See why the time matters above.

Choose your tone, monogram, any engraving and the name the piece is registered to on the next step — no account needed. You sign in only at checkout to settle.