Meet the Braidy’s younger (and arguably cooler) cousin.
Local leather goods label Yu Mei is doubling down on functionality and sustainable design with the expansion of its UTILITY line, reimagining its best-selling Braidy Bag in regenerated nylon.
Shot in Paris by creative duo Chaumont Zaerpour and styled by Linda Engelhardt, the latest campaign marks a bold new chapter for the Braidy, celebrating movement, versatility, and the multi-faceted lives of modern women.
Yu Mei’s Founder and Creative Director Jessie Wong describes the ECONYL nylon iteration as an evolution of the brand’s design DNA – one that doesn’t compromise on form or function.
“UTILITY Braidy is designed for modern women who take on multiple roles in a single day,” says Wong. “This campaign leans into those roles: the learner, the mother, the executive, the gym goer, and the traveller. Multiple personas are, in reality, the same individual.”
Crafted from ECONYL regenerated nylon – made from ocean and landfill waste – the new UTILITY Braidy Bag offers a lighter, weather-resistant alternative to its leather counterpart. It retains the bag’s signature triangle detailing and sculptural silhouette but introduces an elevated ease, whether you’re commuting, travelling, or heading to the gym.
“It’s a classic—evolving,” says Wong. “Using a more technical fabric removes the mental overhead of protecting a leather bag from the elements and provides a more accessible price point. I love that it gives the next generation of wearers an entry point to the brand.”
The campaign takes a documentary-style approach, placing the UTILITY Braidy in real-world contexts. Cast from the street and styled with subtle Parisian polish, it showcases wearers mid-motion – moving between work, rest, and play. Familiar faces like Yu Mei muses Ch’lita Collins and Bella Thomas appear alongside new personalities, reinforcing the bag’s universal appeal.
Following a soft launch of two shades – Coffee Bean and Fir Green – the UTILITY Braidy is now available in five additional colourways: Black, Double Blue, Half Green, Honey, and Pomegranate. A smaller UTILITY Braidy version will also be released in matching tones.
With this launch, Yu Mei continues to prove that sustainability, function, and high design can co-exist – beautifully.