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HISTORY of the Bag 

From Antiquity to today, how the cork bag has become an essential accessory
FASHION:
From Antiquity to today, how the bag has become an essential accessory
This initially utilitarian accessory has become a real fashion item and would alone represent nearly a third of global luxury sales. A look back at the 2,000 year history of the bag.
The handbag takes up more and more space. "Half a century ago, it was only worn at Mass on Sundays. At best, it only contained a bottle of eau de Cologne, a missal and a handkerchief", explains Jean-Claude Kaufmann , sociologist and researcher at the CNRS, author of Le Sac: un petit monde d'amour (Editions JC Lattès). Then, the more women became emancipated, the heavier their bags became. "The handbag has always been linked to women's privacy, through its content, but also because, for a long time, the containers were hidden pockets under the skirts, close to the body", recalls Marie-Laure Gutton, of the Galliera Fashion Museum. And if the interior is intimate, the exterior is displayed. It serves both as a social indicator and as a shield. As for Grace Kelly, who, pregnant and harassed by the paparazzi , hid her rounded belly behind her Hermes.
Antiquity: the utility bag
From ancient Rome to the era of the Christian Crusades, the drawstring purse, worn at the waist, was used by both men and women. It has a purely utilitarian vocation: to contain money.
Middle Ages: the era of chaplains
At this time when the poorest ask for alms in the streets, the rich sometimes plunge their hand not into their pocket – their clothes do not have any – but into their small purse, to draw a coin. In these religious times, pious mottoes are often sewn on these purses where one also arranges handkerchief, rosary, knife and other small objects. We also begin to decorate them, the wealthiest embroidering their purses with gold thread.

This embroidered velvet purse is one of the 4,000 bags exhibited at the Tassenmuseum, the handbag museum in Amsterdam. - © Handbag Museum/Amsterdam/SP.
11th century: "sak" in goat hair
It was in the 11th century that the term handbag appeared. The word bag originates from the Hebrew sak, which refers to a coarse cloth made from goat hair. In English, the word bag finds its origin in the term baga, which designates in Provençal everything that relates to luggage.
15th century: the first metal frames
A metal frame is added at this time so that the purses are more structured, more manageable. Bronze, iron or brass are used for the closures, some of which are already richly worked.
Renaissance: adorned with Venetian glass beads for the elegant
Pockets still do not exist, women still use bags, which are more and more decorated. In Europe, the bag then became the symbol of social status. At this time also begins leather manufacturing.
17th century: hidden pockets under dresses
For fashion effect, the bag is discreet. The women of that time carried bags attached to their waists and concealed by the fabrics of their dresses. They sometimes fill them with perfumed potpourri, in order to mask body odours. These bags, in silk for the most luxurious, are often embroidered.
18th century: crosshairs foreshadow the handbag
As fashion evolved, dresses became lighter, closer to the body, like the empress dress, very refined, which appeared in 1790. Women then abandoned the bag worn at the waist, which risked harming their appearance. silhouette. They turn to the pocket, often embellished with embroidery and beads, called reticule, which is carried by hand. These first bags were mocked by the press of the time, who called them "ridiculous", because they highlighted what had been hidden until then. Over the years and fashions, the shapes of the bag vary: round or square, sober or richly embroidered, with pompoms, in silk or pearls, held by a chain, etc.
1860: leather becomes the norm
With the development of travel, the luggage industry is experiencing a real boom. We then see more and more bags appearing, of all sizes. Including handbags designed for travel. Made of leather, they are stronger than the precious reticles of the 18th century and often equipped with a handle to be easily transported. And, unlike previous models, they close, allowing women to carry their personal belongings discreetly.

1914: fur, reptile skins and feathers
In times of war and therefore of restrictions, classic leather becomes too rare. Designers are turning to more original species: reptile skins, furs and feathers then appear in women's wardrobes, the first being essential for bags.
1920: mini bags and clutches
The Roaring Twenties bring new dances: Charleston, tango and jazz. To avoid the burden of a bag, fashion is mini bags held in the hand. Women are also adopting minaudières , small luxuriously decorated boxes in which they slip powder and mirror, and which are often equipped with a ring to put on their finger to better hold the hand.
1927: Lancel invents the bucket bag
In 1876, Angèle Lancel opened a smoker's shop near the Opera, before moving, a few years later, towards women's accessories. In 1927, the brand created the bucket bag, which would be its reference model. In 2006, Lancel deciding to refocus on accessories, the bag will be reissued under the name of Premier Flirt.
1930: bags travel
With the automobile, the rhythm of life changes rapidly. While loading the luggage in the trunk, it is necessary to be able to keep with you a solid bag, able to contain all that is necessary for a sometimes long journey. Perfect symbol of this era: the Speedy model from Vuitton, launched in 1932. It was the era of luxurious transatlantic cruises. The happy first-class passengers on the Normandy's maiden voyage are thus offered a very designer bag, taking the shape of the liner. More generally, under the influence of the Art Deco style, we see more and more bags with original shapes, sometimes eccentric. In addition, it is also the time when we begin to multiply the bags: a large one for the day, like the Saint-Louis tote bag created by Goyard, and a smaller one for the evening.

Weekend in Rome in 1968 for Audrey Hepburn, who travels light with Vuitton's Speedy bag, thirty-six years after its creation.
1940: the return of fabric
War is synonymous with scarcity. In the absence of leather, nylon or wool, women opt for fabric, straw or raffia bags, with a more rustic look.
1947: Bamboo by Gucci
In 1947, Gucci produced its first handbag in its back office in Florence, Italy . Named Bamboo, or model 0633, this pigskin bag features a curved, burnished bamboo handle, shaped in the style of traditional Piedmontese umbrella makers, using heat and steam. It has 140 pieces assembled by hand and now exists in many materials.

Gucci diverts the techniques of umbrella makers for the handle of its Bamboo bag.
1950: the bag shines brightly
In the glamorous universe of Hollywood, the bag appears on the arms of stars and actresses, to whom it competes so much it shines! Patent leather is in fashion, perfectly sublimating the beauty of Ava Gardner or Marilyn Monroe.

1955: Chanel imposes the shoulder bag
As for all of her creations, when Coco Chanel is interested in the bag, it is to make it an elegant but simple and, above all, practical object. Hence the idea of adding a longer chain than what was done until then, allowing women to wear it no longer on the shoulder, from where it slips, but over the shoulder, and to remain free. of their movements. Created in February 1955, the 2.55 is still a best-seller of the brand, constantly revisited.

In 1962, Catherine Deneuve was a fan of Chanel's 2.55 bag, created in 1955.
1956: Kelly d'Hermès, the most famous bag in the world
When we talk about luxury handbags, a name is immediately evoked, that of Princess Grace... Designed in 1935 and initially simply baptized the "belt bag" by Hermès, it really became popular in 1956, when it appeared held by Grace Kelly in front of her belly, as she tries to conceal her pregnancy (she is then expecting her first child, Caroline of Monaco). A highly sought-after model, the Kelly from Hermès is marketed from 3,500 euros, on the waiting list. One of them sold for 76,000 euros last July.
1964: Jackie Kennedy's bag
Another bag linked to a personality, the Jackie bag from Gucci. In 1964, JFK's widow was seduced by this model to the point of ordering six and adopting it for almost all her outings. She is so often photographed with it and it is so associated with her style that Gucci, as early as 1968, renamed it "Jackie".
1984: the Birkin from Hermès
In 1984, Jane Birkin had the funny idea of complaining to her seatmate on the plane: she, who was used to carrying "her life" in her bag, couldn't find one big enough to hold her affairs and those of his daughter Charlotte. His neighbor, Jean-Louis Dumas, then president of Hermès, sensitive to his request, offered him to draw the sketch of his ideal bag. The Birkin was born, its success will never be denied. The first model that belonged to the singer recently sold for 74,000 euros.
1985: Dior and Lady Di
In his Petit Dictionnaire de la mode, Christian Dior wrote in 1954: "You can wear the same outfit from morning to night, but to be perfectly dressed, you cannot keep the same bag: very simple for lunch, smaller for in the evening, with more fantasy if you wish." His successors understood this well, making accessories a full-fledged business for the brand. Also, when, in 1995, Bernadette Chirac contacted the house to offer a bag to Lady Diana, on an official visit to France, the house seized the opportunity. The Chouchou bag, designed by Gianfranco Ferré, then artistic director of the house, was immediately renamed Princesse. He was immediately adopted by Lady Di, who never left him, ensuring him worldwide promotion. In two years, 200,000 were sold, with the share of accessories in Dior's turnover being multiplied by ten at the same time.
2000: the era of the it-bag
In a leather goods market weighing several tens of billions of euros, luxury brands have all fully understood the importance of accessories, and handbags in particular. Especially since this segment often generates the most juicy margins. It is therefore logical that they fight to bring out the it-bag, the trendy and essential bag that will be seen the most on the arms of celebrities in magazines. From now on, handbags are no longer only made by the big names in leather goods, but by all fashion brands, from couture to high-end ready-to-wear, such as Chloé, Balenciaga, Diane von Furstenberg or Céline. .
2013: Louis Vuitton accelerates
Between 2013 and 2014, Louis Vuitton launched no less than ten bag models . A frenzy of novelty supposed to respond to a global demand for accessories which is growing much faster than for other luxury products (+11% against "only" 5% for the whole sector, according to the firm Bain). And it is estimated that, each year, ten million new consumers enter the luxury market, in particular thanks to loss leaders such as bags.
2018: shopping bags?
This year, the Balenciaga brand intrigued with a bag that seemed inspired… by the famous Ikea blue plastic bags , but sold for more than 1,600 euros. With the disappearance of plastic bags in shops, the trend seems to be for large tote bags , in which you can store everything... Some brands are even playing with it, like Sézane, whose fabric and cork bags , offered when buying a piece of clothing from the brand, find themselves in the form of shopping bags in the arms of fashionistas...