Finally someone made a work-appropriate backpack that makes sense for professional women

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What makes one backpack superior to the other?

Intelligent design and pockets, pockets, pockets.

As a member of the Insider Picks team, I’ve gotten to try out more backpacks than one person can hope to have in their lifetime. And while I’ve enjoyed many for their particularities, there’s one that stands out with check marks in all the major categories: Dagne Dover’s Dakota Backpack looks unique and sophisticated, it’s fairly priced, and the design is far more clever than competitors.

What many new companies do well is approach old problems, or old products, rather, with a fresh perspective. Instead of making a backpack one way because it’s always been done that way, newer companies must look at it from start to finish, and conceptualize their brand (which isn’t decades old and well-known) into one signature piece. What will they say? Will they be memorable for material, or will they be memorable for versatility?

Apparently, Dagne Dover picked both.

I’m willing to bet that, like me, future buyers will grow interested in the brand for their exceptionally well-executed aesthetic: neutrals manipulated into sophisticated, minimalist designs that rely primarily on structure and really high-quality materials. But, like me, I know that while most will buy their first Dagne Dover bag because of the look, it will without a doubt be the versatility and ingenuity that makes them repeat customers, again and again.

Because while their aesthetic is so strong, it’s the fresh, deliciously simple way of making buyers’ lives easier with creative design that is going to stick. 

I am a busy, slightly harassed person. If my purse doesn’t have an intelligent organizational design, it will slip into a disorganized black hole, with things rolling around the bottom and only distinguishable by touch.But with this backpack, there is quite literally a place for everything you could possibly think of.

The inside mesh divider keeps your tech in one spot, while two pockets on the inside flap serve to separate smaller things — like headphones, passports, or anything else you want to be able to identify without digging. The side pockets allow for easy access to your phone without having to unzip, and Dagne Dover designed two pockets in the back of the product, so you can keep your keys, phone, or MetroCard zipped away and secure, while also allowing you the possibility of getting them out quickly. Even the interior nylon lining has a compact pocket hidden in it, so you can further categorize all the things that you need to store.

When I first saw the material in person, I was a little disappointed. Not because it looked different than pictured, but because I was worried that the scuba-like material would wrinkle and crease over time because it's so giving under pressure. But it turns out I shouldn’t have worried: packed or barely carrying anything, the Dakota holds the exact same shape, and weeks later, it hasn't shown any sign of fatigue at all.

Similarly, I was concerned that it wouldn’t weather anything but sunlight very well — the light material and light color seemed like a recipe for discoloration upon any contact with moisture. But the texture, color, and shape have all remained unchanged, even when I got caught in the rain and the backpack didn’t quite make it under the coverage of my umbrella.

So while I, my friends, and my colleagues have all bought things that excel in maybe one of the multiple categories that Dagne Dover excels in and felt justified at the time, that will no longer be the case. Though we've only tried out two of their products thus far, the experiences have been remarkably positive.

And though the look is unique, immaculate, and sophisticated enough to be ranked at the relatively high price point of $175 on its own, it's the brainiac attention to detail and the subtle, clever ingenuity that will make me remember the brand. I’ll be checking in on them as much for an interest in their collection as for the fact that now I don’t want a bag that’s any less smart than the one I now have.

Better yet, if you are a teacher or member of the military, you are eligible for a 20% discount on any Dagne Dover purchases you make. Just fill out this form using your official education or military email address and the company will give you an exclusive code to use at checkout.

Dagne Dover's Dakota Backpack retails for $175 and comes in four colors — black, deep navy, moss green, and rose pink.

You can check out other customer favorites from Dagne Dover here.