Premium backpack brand for professional women launches at Flying Solo SoHo in NYC, then joins the Milan Loves Seoul x Yongdae pop-up Sept 12–19 in Seoul
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, August 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Maisonje, the premium backpack brand for working professionals founded by designer-turned-entrepreneur Jay Heo, launched in New York at Flying Solo in SoHo in June 2026. In September the brand returns to Seoul for the Milan Loves Seoul x Yongdae pop-up store at Me Space, Apgujeong Rodeo, Gangnam (September 12–19, 2026), curated with British fashion platform Yongdae.
Heo built Maisonje from a life lived across Korea, Australia, Singapore, and France. A fashion design graduate, she began on the shop floor of a Louis Vuitton boutique in Brisbane, earned her Master’s at ESSEC Business School in France and Singapore, and went on to work in PR and product marketing at Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier within the Richemont group. The idea for Maisonje came in 2022 in Paris, where she was working in marketing at an art fair start-up and watching professionals cycle to work, elegant and unhurried, carrying bags that were either stylish or practical but rarely both. For women in particular, she found, the choice was starker: a backpack that worked for the commute rarely looked right in a meeting.
“The work backpack I needed didn’t exist,” said Heo. “I was flying between countries for work, and in Paris I watched people cycle to the office looking effortlessly polished — while everything I learned at the luxury Maisons told me a bag could be both beautiful and built for that life. So I made it myself.”
Before designing the first collection, Heo surveyed 300 professionals across Korea, France, and Australia on how they carry their working lives. Their answers shaped the Everyday Backpack, the brand’s signature piece, and every collection since. Heo oversees each stage of development, from material selection to final sampling, to a standard set by her years in luxury.
Following the K-Fashion Pop-Up in Paris earlier this year, New York and Seoul mark the next step in Maisonje’s international expansion.
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About Maisonje
Maisonje is a premium backpack brand for professional women, crafting design-led, functional pieces that move from the boardroom to the airport without compromise. Founded by Jay Heo, the brand combines refined luxury aesthetics with everyday practicality and is available at Flying Solo SoHo (New York), Wolf & Badger online, and www.maisonjeofficial.com.
Pop-Up Event Details
Milan Loves Seoul x Yongdae Pop-Up Store
Date: September 12–19, 2026
Address: ME SPACE, 1F, 22 Seolleung-ro 153-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Kerstin Guian
MAISONJE PR
studio@maisonjeofficial.com
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