They took the humble backpack and turned it into a splurgeworthy object of desire—with a price tag to match, of course. Crafted from the finest Italian leather with an irresistibly squishy feel ...

The 5,300-year-old mummy of Otzi the Ice Man, carried a backpack ... is Italy. Looking over the colourful harbour of Palermo, Sicily, Studio Sarta is one of some 4,500 leather businesses ...

one a grained Palmellato leather which has the texture of a grapefruit and is super durable as a finish, and the other, an unbelievably soft suede that really emphasises the slouch of the larger bags.