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What Does it Mean to be a Luxury Brand?
NEWSLETTER
3/26/20262 min read
About a month ago I went handbag shopping and I’m still irked by the experience.
6 months ago my husband gave me the gift of getting a new leather handbag. I’ve wanted a high quality leather purse for sometime, but I’ve never followed through.
I thought my problem was that I always hesitate to spend money. It turns out this was only part of the problem.
My husband and I went to a handful of higher end department stores where we could see a variety of brands. The more bags I looked through the more disappointed I felt.
The bags I rifled through ranged from $200 to $2000 (I mean, I’m there, may as well look at everything even if it’s out of budget, right?) and we visited 3 different large stores. I didn’t find a single bag that I could really see myself using for years and years to come.
I saw things I thought were pretty and pieces that I thought were interestingly designed, but my overarching feeling was disappointment.
These bags had no pockets or at best a single pocket on the inside. Some lacked usable straps. A handful of bags were made in captivating colors and a few had very intriguing closures - but these stood out from the majority.
None of the bags seemed usable for my every day life. Only two or three bags did I think “that’s a really beautiful bag”. How am I going to spend such a large amount of money on a bag that doesn’t check all the boxes.
On the way home we had a conversation about what “luxury handbags” or “designer brands” means these days. We agreed that in the past luxury pieces were thoughtfully made and higher quality, but today they feel barely indistinguishable from other fast fashion. In many ways, they feel like fast fashion piece simply with a more expensive price tag.
So what’s the solution if you actually want a thoughtfully made piece? I’m considering two different directions personally. One, perhaps a vintage handbag. Two, an artisan (and actually artisan) handbag maker that makes pieces in small batches.
Both of these options offers better made pieces, better impact to the environmental, and opens the floor up to more unique, personal feeling bags.
The bottom line is the definition of luxury I choose vs. refuse to accept. I refuse to pay for a brand name that gives me little of what I actually want and need in a bag. I choose to believe in luxury that makes us feel cared for, gives us the function we need, and connects us to our personal sense of self and style.
Let's throw out the outdated association with designer brands being the front door to luxury and instead focus on products that actual deliver the function and beauty we want in a special piece. Now that's luxurious!
