An unexpected encounter.

In 2021, Denis Kurchenko was riding his motorbike through central Ho Chi Minh City when a bag caught his attention. It was being carried by a young man on another motorbike, a little ahead of him in traffic.

At the next red light the two bikes stopped, and Denis had a moment to look at it more closely. The design held his attention.

Then the light turned green, and the rider moved off into the traffic. Denis followed. He eventually overtook him and pulled over to ask where the bag had been bought.

It happened so suddenly that the rider almost ran into him.

The young man’s name was Anh. The bag, he explained, had not come from a shop. He was involved in producing bags himself.

A conversation at the side of the road became a collaboration. Denis developed his own sketches and design concept. Anh helped translate that concept into a physical construction — a bag that could actually be made and carried.

The first experimental DK collection was manufactured in Vietnam, at a factory belonging to Anh’s sister. Only ten pieces of the original design were produced. That design became DK 01 — MOSCOW.

Some were sold. Some were given to friends and to notable people in Vietnam. Several owners still use their DK bags years later.

That, more than anything, is the point. A design should look distinctive the first time you see it — and still be useful long after.