From bread to budget

It begins between 100 and 300 AD with the Roman loculus (small place), a briefcase carried by Roman soldiers as part of their luggage. They were made of goat or calf leather and had a lockable front flap. The loculus contained the soldier's rations and personal belongings. By the 15th century, the Roman Empire had collapsed, but the briefcase was still in use. It was even used by schoolchildren, as we know from Shakespeare's plays.

The breakthrough came in the 17th century with the development of pockets. Briefcases were no longer so essential, so they became more specialised, such as the doctor's or soldier's briefcase. Those belonging to the soldiers of Napoleon's army or the Americans during the Civil War had addtional shoulder straps.
Around the same time, in 1860, the British Prime Minister, who resided at 10 Downing Street, began the annual ritual of presenting the agreed budget for the following year. He presented the public with a red leather briefcase containing all the documents relating to the matter. (The word "budget" comes from the Latin bolga, meaning a leather bag or briefcase). This tradition continued for the next 150 years, making the briefcase synonymous with finance, economics and business.

Mini-office

For a long time now, the briefcase has been a clear message to colleagues, clients and basically everyone: "This person has a briefcase and therefore must be important". Nowadays, business fashion has loosened up considerably, and while fancy briefcases still mean something, most people have moved on to backpacks or briefcases that are modern and convenient (like ours!). After all, the most important feature in the 21st century is space for a laptop, which has become a portable office.