In 1887, Smythson started making notebooks. A few years later, this almost 140-year-old shop specializing in “fancy articles of a high-class character” began making supple leather bags for storing its fancy articles. It took until 2026 for Chitose Abe, the always imaginative founder of sacai, to bring the two practices together.

sacai doesn’t care much for conventional clothing categories. The Japanese label is instead famous for Frankensteining disparate designs into one cohesive hybrid.

sacai stationary is no different. 

In partnership with Smythson, sacai created a trio of sleek black clutches made by shrinking Smythson’s cross-grain leather briefcase down into miniature size.

One of the tiny briefcases doubles as a notebook, its inner filled with featherweight paper milled in Italy. Another also works as a passport cover while the other is an actual bag. 

This collaboration debuted at sacai’s Spring/Summer 2026 runway show, where invites arrived on a custom leather Smythson tray. It finally releases on February 13, with the Chelsea Notebook bag costing $475 (whereas a regular Chelsea Notebook retails at $165), while its $485 for the passport cover and $640 for the small bag.

For sacai, this is yet another semi-historic collaboration. The ever-busy label has pioneered partnerships with unexpected partners as disparate as makers of fine plates and couture designer Tomo Koizumi while also knocking out typically strong stuff with like-minded makers that include Carhartt WIP. In this case, it’s the first time Smythson has ever partnered with a fashion designer of sacai’s stripe. 

However, the historic English company does oversee plenty of collaborations with everyone from longstanding London department store Liberty to contemporary artists like Thomas Lélu. Nothing that aligns with the hype-driven culture we call “the new luxury,” though, making sacai the first label to bridge that gap by becoming the first person to turn a Smythson notebook into a handbag.

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