Briefcases are form follows function.The briefcase came into existence in the 19th century, following the explosion of the mass production of paper in standard sizes. As commerce and legal affairs began to dominate the economy, businesspeople had a need to transport documents around. Soft-sided bags, which we humans have been fashioning since caveman times, don't do a good job of protecting rectangular sheets of paper. Thus the hard-sided rectilinear briefcase was born, sometime in the 1850s (original inventor unknown/disputed). Briefcases remained a robust product category for the next 130 years or so. But as laptops went mass-market in the 1990s, they became the most important thing to carry. You'd think briefcases would have simply slipped into this new role, as briefcases and laptops are both the same shape. But laptops were heavy, and an awareness of ergonomics was growing. People found it more convenient to carry laptops in bags. The briefcase went into decline, and never really bounced back.Ignoring that trend Toyo Steel, a Japanese manufacturer of steel toolboxes used by industry and the trades, is gambling that they can transition to the office market. They've released this Konstella Briefcase, designed to carry documents, a laptop and odds and ends. Rather than going with their signature material, the company has opted for aluminum alloy, presumably because no office worker wants to lug a steel box around. The Konstella weighs in at 1,430g (3.2 lbs), which is within the range of a standard laptop backpack.Toyo's designers have zhuzhed it up with a leather handle and accents. Aside from the Karim-Rashid-like symbol stamped into the lid for structure, there are no other adornments. The minimalist Konstella sits in the premium market, ringing in at about USD $550 a pop. It's a strange foray for Toyo Steel to take, but a reminder that as traditional industries struggle, they'll seek out new markets in an effort to apply their manufacturing expertise for new customers.