"SIMPLICITY IS THE ultimate sophistication," said Leonardo da Vinci, but you don't need to tell designer Gina deWolfe that.

Earlier this year, she launched her eponymous line, deWolfe, opening with the (semi-eponymous) Wolfepack, a sleek, no-frills leather backpack-satchel in buttery white, black or brown leather. The shape is almost square, as though created to be perfectly instagrammable, and the slightly angular lines of the flap draw the eye down, right into the steampunk-like hooked closure - Wolfepack's only extravagance. Each is handstitched (with ultra-durable waxed thread) and has a slim but sizable pocket inside.

The designer recently added a heftier version of the bag for men, complete with a leather strap for securing vinyls and a righteous business card holder. 

For indie designers that craft their wares by hand, one imagines the temptation to over-design is great; it takes a skilled hand and an instinctive eye to create something that is spare and intriguing, architecturally sound and unexpected.

DeWolfe, who also teaches design at Bay State College, has clearly mastered both, a feat made doubly impressive by her age (twenty-something) and newness of her line (about a year old). 

The Wolfepack for women is currently available on DeWolf's webshop for $350 (along with a matching wallet, dubbed the "Bettie") as well as in brick and mortar spots like December Thieves.

A quick peek at DeWolfe's social media hints at the introduction of new styles in the near future, like this fringed cross-body bag - a sample that the designer recently road-tested, much to the approval of fans of her line.

 The Wolfepack is getting love beyond Beantown, as well; InStyle Magazine (repeat after me: MAY-jor!) has taken note, nominating deWolfe for the "Handmade Bag" segment in their reader-voted design competition. You can vote for the Wolfepack here.