After 25 years of supplying accessories to renowned fashion houses, Kenny Park, the founder of Korean handbag maker Simone, has opened BagStage, a 10-story temple to the tote. Located in Seoul’s trendy Garosu-gil district, the building houses a museum that spans five centuries of handbag design, with more than 300 pieces ranging from 19th-century miser’s purses and the first European women’s workbags, to a 2010 Alexander McQueen clutch installation. The first-floor boutique is dedicated to Simone’s 0914 label, but the outlet upstairs stocks several other brands. Below decks, Park has allocated rent-free studio space to emerging designers, while anyone looking to gain a deeper appreciation of the craft will find skivers, sewing machines, and a range of leathers to ogle in the building’s workshop. –Harry Jacques

Originally appeared in the October/November 2012 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“What’s Your Bag?”)