A Chinese brand selected by the World Handbag and Luggage Museum — BAMPO

In 2017, BAMPO was recognized by the world’s largest handbag and luggage museum, the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses in Amsterdam. The museum permanently added two of the brand’s handbags, “Garden of Pleasance” and “Ink Charm,” to its collection.

BAMPO is the only Chinese brand to have been selected by the museum since its establishment. This honor represents a significant recognition from the international handbag industry—not only of BAMPO itself, but also of original Chinese designer handbag brands as a whole. It reflects a deep global appreciation of Chinese culture and artistry, with BAMPO standing as a symbol of Chinese cultural and artistic expression being seen and celebrated once again on the world stage.

BAMPO Art Handbag [Ink Charm]

Located along the canals in the city center of Amsterdam—designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—the Museum of Bags and Purses is the largest museum of its kind in the world.

Introduction to the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses (Amsterdam)

The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses, the largest museum of handbags and luggage in the world, is housed in a historic canal house at Herengracht 573 in Amsterdam. As the largest museum of its kind globally, it presents a captivating story of fashion, art, culture, and history. Located along the canals in the heart of Amsterdam—within the city center designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—the museum showcases the evolution of bags from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its collection features more than 5,000 unique pieces dating from around 1600 to today, and it has been recognized as one of the world’s top ten fashion museums. This is the only place in the world where visitors can admire such a wide range of beautiful, rare, playful, and even astonishing bags all in one location. From exquisite handcrafted masterpieces of the 15th century to timeless creations by renowned contemporary designers, the museum offers an unparalleled journey through the history of bags.

Museum Director Sigrid Ivo (right) and Collections; Exhibitions Director Marion Timmers have a deep appreciation for Chinese culture and have expressed great admiration for BAMPO’s products.

Tassenmuseum Hendrikje -Museum of Bags & Purses

The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses was founded in 1996. The building that houses the museum has an even older history, dating back to 1664. Located within Amsterdam’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Canal Ring, it is currently the only museum in the world with both a comprehensive and specialized collection dedicated to handbags and luggage. The museum holds a collection of more than 5,000 handbags and presents the history of bags from the late Middle Ages to the present day within a Western cultural context, including works by contemporary designers.

A museum located along the beautiful canals in the city center of Amsterdam

The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses (Museum of Bags & Purses, Amsterdam) was founded out of the passion of collectors Hendrikje Ivo and Heinz Ivo for handbags and luggage. Each handbag carries its own story—telling of its creation, materials, form, as well as the fashion trends and social habits of its time. Bags and luggage also bear witness to the process of women’s emancipation, reflect major artistic movements, and showcase the decorative styles, as well as the economic and technological developments of different eras. In this sense, every bag represents a piece of history and a manifestation of culture.

Masterpiece of the Collection
The oldest bag in the museum’s collection dates back to 16th-century France.

Masterpiece of the Collection
A 19th-century German leather handbag inlaid with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, dating from the 1820s.

Featuring over 5,000 unique objects in its collection, spanning from 1600 AD to the present day.

This museum is the only place in the world where visitors can simultaneously admire a wide range of beautiful, rare, playful, and even astonishing bags and luggage all in one setting. It is the only museum in Europe dedicated exclusively to handbags and luggage, and also the largest of its kind in the world. From exquisite handcrafted masterpieces of the 15th century to timeless creations by renowned contemporary designers, it offers everything in between, showcasing more than 500 years of the evolution of bags and luggage from the Middle Ages to the present day.

As the largest museum of its kind in the world, it houses more than 5,000 unique bags and luggage pieces from different eras. The collection presents handbags and luggage from the late Middle Ages to the present day, showcasing a wide variety of materials, shapes, and functions, offering visitors a fascinating and eye-opening experience. Driven by the collectors’ personal passion for the history, materials, techniques, craftsmanship, and stories behind bags, the museum was ultimately established as a comprehensive institution dedicated entirely to the world of handbags and luggage. From the very beginning, the museum demonstrated a discerning eye in its selection of pieces, with a strong focus on illustrating the history of bags within a Western cultural context. As a result, its collection has received international acclaim for both its diversity and exceptional quality. In 2014, the travel website Fodor’s named it one of the world’s top ten fashion museums.

The collection includes handbags once used by Elizabeth Taylor, Hillary Clinton, and Madonna.

China, 2017 The only genuine leather handbag from a Chinese brand in the museum’s collection. Inspired by the aesthetics of Chinese garden art, the design integrates architectural elements, Chinese culture, and traditional folk craftsmanship. It embodies both “aesthetics” and “craftsmanship,” and is rich in traditional Chinese artistic sensibility. Delicate and refined, it reflects exceptional ingenuity and craftsmanship, expressing an elegant and noble aesthetic orientation, as well as a serene philosophy of hidden beauty within urban life. Since its establishment, the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses has been committed to seeking out exceptional, original masterpieces of craftsmanship with cultural significance from around the world. Its collection of more than 5,000 works is not only a testimony to cultural and historical heritage, but also a precious treasure of humanity. These remarkable pieces possess an artistic charm and vitality that transcend time, carrying their stories across generations.

BAMPO (Banpo), the first original Chinese art handbag brand, upholds the brand philosophy of “creating beauty and spreading beauty.” Drawing on an Eastern cultural background while integrating advanced global design concepts, it builds a cultural DNA deeply rooted in the brand’s spirit, ensuring that each product becomes a refined expression of traditional Chinese cultural essence blended with contemporary fashion trends. Guided by the mission of “inheriting and promoting traditional Chinese culture and art,” the brand uses exceptional expressiveness to interpret the “accessibility” and “tangibility” of art, allowing every woman to experience and enjoy the beauty of original Chinese artistic design.

Although the majority of its collection comes from European and American countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States, the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses has also been paying close attention to Asian design, with the intention of adding distinctive Asian handbags to its collection.

Certificate of Collection issued by the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses to BAMPO.

In 2016, Museum Director Sigrid Ivo was introduced to BAMPO art handbags and was deeply impressed by their artistic quality and originality. She also greatly appreciated BAMPO’s unwavering commitment to the creation of art handbags, and sincerely invited the brand to become part of the museum’s permanent collection.

As is widely known, BAMPO, a model brand of original Chinese art handbags, upholds the mission of “creating beauty and spreading beauty.” Since its establishment, it has regarded each handbag as a work of art. Every piece is crafted through more than a hundred meticulous handmade processes, combining modern techniques with the revival of traditional craftsmanship.Art forms such as embroidery, cloisonné enamel, lacquer painting, carving, paper-cutting, and blue-and-white porcelain are reinterpreted and revitalized on the handbags, giving new life to traditional Chinese arts. Each art handbag can be regarded as a “classic treasure that transcends time.”The invitation from the Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses to include BAMPO in its collection is a strong recognition of the brand’s consistent dedication to artistic handbag creation, as well as a high affirmation of BAMPO’s original design philosophy in art handbags.

The inclusion of BAMPO art handbags not only adds a touch of Eastern cultural charm to the historic and influential Tassenmuseum Hendrikje – Museum of Bags & Purses, but also aims to bridge the cultural and geographical divide between East and West through the profound and rich heritage of Eastern culture. It presents to the world the essence and conviction of original Eastern art in fashion, showcasing the unique appeal of Chinese original art handbags and introducing BAMPO to a global audience. Looking ahead, BAMPO and the Museum of Bags; Purses in Amsterdam will continue to expand their cooperation and exchanges. Through ongoing encounters between Eastern and Western fashion cultures, both sides hope to explore the common ground between Chinese and Western aesthetics, establish shared aesthetic understandings across cultures, and contribute meaningfully to the development of global fashion culture and original design.

Published in June 2017