How Men’s Hype Bags Became the New Sneakers

Mr Villaflores wasn’t the only one to equalize the bag with a kick. Over the past decade, men have been in a hurry to collect sneakers, liking exclusive styles. Some rocked it on the sidewalk while others saw it as an investment, keeping it fresh until it was resold. Rare models earn dizzying sums on online marketplaces like StockX and at auction. (Just last year, Sotheby’s sold Kanye West’s Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype for $1.8 million.) Because of their sports and streetwear connotations, “sneakers help break the stigma” that interest in fashion is inherently feminine, says Jian DeLeon, men’s fashion. Nordstrom Director. “[Now], it’s okay for men to be obsessed with accessories.” Recently, another men’s accessory has begun to inspire a sneaker-level spirit: a sling bag that clings to the body like a baby monkey. Sold by brands such as Fendi, Prada, and Stüssy, the bags convey a sense of smart and élan like a new pair of Salomons.

Sling bags—especially the fun-sized, rectangular models—have become a staple of clothing for Gen-Z urbanites and millennials. Specific hype bag models suit a particular style tribe: Off-White version of the haute-streetwear totes set with yellow straps with caution bands; social media specialists might use Bottega Veneta woven leather Cassette pouches; and outdoor types often use the durable Arc’Teryx package. In the past, you would “walk down the street and break your neck at the sight of someone’s shoe,” said Mr. DeLeon. They are “status symbols, instantly recognizable.” Now men wear these “If you know, you know” badges on the chest as well as on the legs.

Research firm NPD Group reports that US sales of men’s and unisex handbags are up nearly 700% percent in 2021 compared to 2018. And market research firm Euromonitor International estimates the global luxury handbag and small leather goods market to reach $12.3 billion by 2022. that’s smaller than the sneaker market, which the NPD Group estimates to be worth about $30 billion by 2021, bags “definitely among the fastest growing, if not that fastest growth [menswear] segment,” said Benjamin Schneider, senior fashion analyst at Euromonitor. “There is great potential.”

The popularity of men’s handbags owes much to the infiltration of streetwear into the luxury industry. To be sure, early on, hipsters wore fanny packs from mass-market brands like American Apparel as an ironic wink into tacky 1980s style. But brands with skateboard roots like Supreme have, in the last decade or so, released larger rectangular bags that gave men the idea of ​​carrying bags more flashy. These are worn higher so they’re basically cross-body, says Bruce Pask, men’s fashion director at Neiman Marcus. It was Kim Jones, artistic director at Dior Men, who turned him into a status symbol when, in 2018, he created the men’s version of the iconic Saddle bag from the house. Perhaps for the first time, there will be “a true luxury statement bag for men”, says Mr. DeLeon. Brands including Jacquemus and 1017 Alyx 9SM sparked the hype by releasing their own results and pitching them to celebrities and athletes like A$AP Rocky and Russell Westbrook.

Men’s bags deserve to be heralded as a new sneaker. Until recently, the media routinely referred to the sneakers as a “bag for men”, meaning that they were a symbol of the ultimate fashion status—not to mention the bread and butter accessories of luxury homes. Female designers are constantly jostling to create the next “It” bag because bags are the gateway product that lures consumers into the world of brands. They are “the reason people go to the store in the first place,” says Mr. Schneider. And, most importantly, they are dairy cows. According to investment research firm Sanford C. Bernstein, in 2018 the average handbag sales represented about 40% of a luxury brand’s total annual revenue.

But if they’re so profitable, why aren’t brands pushing men’s bags faster? Historically, men’s relationship with handbags is indeed a complicated one. Once, men routinely wore leather pouches slung on their belts, but demand waned after pouches were popularized in the 1600s. In the 20th century, storing briefcases and backpacks, bags were considered feminine and fussy, and men who dared to carry them were made fun of. In the ’90s, a man with a bag was the ultimate joke: Think of Joey’s handbag in “Friends” (“You look like your son, Mrs. Tribbiani,” Chandler quipped to Joey); or “murse” Jerry Seinfeld (“This is Europe!” he shouted defending his bag. “I’m a cool boy!”). Most horrified is the term “men’s bag”, which was recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary in 2006. By asking for the prefix, “men”, the currency underscores the idea that handbags are inherently feminine.

Pak Pask thinks we have finally reached the “post-‘man bag'” era. Changing attitudes toward accessories have been combined with men’s increasing embrace of other items normally perceived as feminine, such as jewelry and nail polish. We are “in a very permissive state” [time] in a fashion where … we have passed the need for masculinization [things],” she says.

Storage area for daily necessities, sling bags and empty pockets. They promote clean and elegant lines; Cell phones no longer have to make pants pockets bulge or hoodie pockets sag. And bags foster organization. Stuffing stuff in your pockets “seems pretty messy,” says Corey Fonville, 31. The Baltimore-based musician swears by his black North Face sling, which he calls “very practical.”

First-time buyers should be wary of bold logos or noisy patterns. Choose a design that won’t bore you, suggested Mr. DeLeon from Nordstrom. The ideal everyday bag has a zip inside the pocket to keep things separate and is roomy enough to store everyday essentials like phone, wallet, keys, face mask, hand sanitizer, whatever you rely on. For Mr Maynard, it’s a mini cologne bottle and a disposable camera. For Mr Fonville, who travels a lot for work, that’s the passport. And for Alan Schneider, 52, a high school teacher in Milwaukee, it’s lip balm, eye drops, and spare shoelaces, which he keeps in his black Louis Vuitton sling bag. It “makes life a lot more comfortable,” he said.

Christian Dixon, a London accountant, has 15 designer bags for various occasions. He’d wear a nylon Prada to run errands or opt for his more frenetic red Bottega Veneta Cassette when he hit town. To enhance her collection, she sought out the Hermès Kelly or Birkin, boxy bags that women usually carry but have only recently been co-opting by men, especially in larger sizes, such as briefcases. Birkin can, depending on his style, pick up six figures at auction. “The bags are a major investment—they will retain their value and you can keep them forever,” said Mr. Dixon, 36. In a decade or two, that Louis Vuitton sling bag will probably fetch just as serious a price at auction as intense. Nike did today.

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