After quiet luxury and minimalism ruled fashion trends in recent seasons, the accessories category is getting a jolt of energy through the increasing ubiquity of novelty bags.
Special bags have long been a part of many peoples’ wardrobes, typically reserved for a special occasions, however recent street-style moments, runways and social media influencers are making a case for the playful style to be used as an everyday accessory.
“There’s been always a pendulum on what rises and falls and swings and sways,” said Susan Korn, designer of accessories label Susan Alexandra, about the trend. “In the past couple of years we’ve seen there’s been this return to a very serious suit dressing — like neutral suit dressing, the vest as a shirt and the return to the traditional black bag. On the other end of the spectrum, you have a really fun, ridiculous, outrageous, not so serious bag. When you go too far in one direction, you always want to go to the other.”
Overall, the playful nature and individualistic quality of novelty bags is expected to continue the style’s prominence in accessories trends through the remainder of the year.
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“It’s just an emotional, happy bag, as cheesy as it sounds,” said Sarah Staudinger, whose fashion brand Staud offers bags shaped like fish and snails and her signature beaded Tommy bag. “All handbags are a form of wearing art in my opinion. If it’s not a tote bag, or if it’s a tote bag, it’s wearable art, right? It’s specific to each customer and it’s what makes them happy or what they’re gravitating toward.”
She’s been pleasantly surprised by the positive reception and increasing interest in her brand’s novelty bags, which has encouraged her to up the ante season to season, she said.
“People are wanting something that is not necessarily screaming, ‘I’m wearing this designer,’ but they’re wearing something that is unique to them and that is expressing their quirkiness or what they’re feeling in fashion right now,” she said. “That’s a huge part of it. We see success across every version of that. It’s really interesting that you see different types of people expressing themselves through these bags and through these purchases.”
At Susan Alexandra, the designer said her beaded rainbow bags have always been a bestseller, and her recently released Berry Pebbles vignette bag is also a new favorite.
An array of Staud Tommy bags.
Courtesy of Staud
Edie Parker, which went viral for its Burn Collection — handbags with retractable lighters — last year, suggested the rise in more unique bags is a response to quiet luxury and minimalism.
“If [people are] still wearing quiet luxury ready-to-wear pieces, a novelty bag is the greatest way to make that look interesting,” said founder and creative director Brett Heyman. “There’s a yearning to add some more color and personality back into our outfits.”
Cult Gaia founder and designer Jasmin Larian Hekmat said some customers are looking to certain bags as collector’s items, which has increased their overall appeal. Since she launched the brand in 2012, Cult Gaia has become known for its quirky bags, starting with the popular bamboo Ark bag to today’s popular styles like the pearl-like Caldera clutch and the shell-like Nala clutch.
“Everyone’s always going to want a novelty bag,” she said. “It feels like a collector’s item outside of just a piece that has utility. In this day and age, people want to be collecting art when they buy things. When everything is so oversaturated, there will always be a place for more art in your closet and in your hand.”
Cult Gaia’s Nala clutch.
Courtesy of Cult Gaia
While some of the bags are bold and colorful, many have a timeless quality to them that makes them easy to pair with outfits year-round. Staudinger, for one, has a cross-generational customer base for her novelty bags and sees consistent sales across styles each season.
For many, a different type of handbag is a way to add an element of self-expression to an outfit. In addition to its array of style options, Staud also offers totes and leather bags that can be customized to include a hand-painted portrait of the customer’s pet. At Susan Alexandra, the designer’s I Love New York collection has been a longtime favorite. Edie Parker also offers an array of quirky styles ranging from bags in the shape of underwear to its customizable acrylic clutch.
“There’s different levels to novelty and it’s definitely a huge part of the DNA of the brand,” Staudinger said. “When designing a collection, I definitely look at it on all the different levels. Whether it’s a more playful statement piece that’s maybe louder than your outfit, or there’s something that’s just interesting and a nod to something novelty like a combination of materials or something that’s unexpected.”
Social media influencers, especially maximalist fashion influencers, are also paving the way for more people to embrace novelty bags on a more frequent basis, according to Korn.
“We learn so much about fashion from trends and the internet,” she said. “The people who have the biggest following are the people who take the biggest risks and do the most wild, funny and fun combinations. People see that and they’re like, ‘Wait, I can do that too.’ It’s the idea that being unique and individual is actually the thing that makes you stand out.”
