Who needs an entire pizza box when you can carry a single slice in style? Nikolas Bentel thinks it’s time to rethink how you transport your takeout, whether it’s pizza, a hot dog, a soda, or a box of pasta.
Bentel, a New York-based artist and designer, creates fashion accessories and homewares that reimagine everyday objects. An electrical cable becomes a wearable piece. A picnic blanket carrier gets stripped down to its most literal form. The results are so hyper-practical that they nearly break the rules of functionality entirely.
Each piece has exactly one job. Carry one soda bottle in a pair of buckled straps. That’s it. No pockets. No extra storage. No versatility. Just a single, absurdly specific purpose.
His work echoes the clever, irreverent spirit of Nicole McLaughlin’s utilitarian apparel and MSCHF’s cartoonish, viral objects. But Bentel’s pieces feel different, they’re almost useful, just slightly too ridiculous to be serious.
The beauty is in the precision. A leather holster for a single slice of pizza. A crossbody bag shaped like a takeout container. A purse designed to cradle a hot dog. These aren’t practical in the traditional sense. They’re practical in the way that good satire is practical: they reveal something true about how we consume, carry, and perform everyday life.
Bentel sells his pieces through his online shop, where limited runs disappear quickly. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok for updates on new releases and behind-the-scenes looks at his process.
For a similarly absurd take on single-purpose design, you might also appreciate the leather watermelon carrier by Tsuchiya Kaban, proof that Bentel is not alone in his devotion to the beautifully unnecessary.
