From Ranveer Singh to Harry Styles, men are loving their 'IT' bags

Farewell to the era of manhood entangled in the impractical dance of keys, glasses, and wallets juggling within the pockets of their trousers. Once upon a time, men often turned to their girlfriends, moms, or sisters to bear the load of their daily essentials in their bags. But lo and behold, times have changed, and now it's the boys' turn to carry the torch—or should we say the handbag.

Enter the fashion 'IT' boys, with Hollywood heartthrob Jacob Elordi at the helm. The manbag trend has found its champions in the likes of Elordi, pop sensation Harry Styles, and the swagger-filled A$AP Rocky, all confidently embracing the accessory.

These manbags aren't just a fleeting trend, thanks to design houses like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Valentino, Fendi, and more, who've played a part in breaking down gender conventions. The resurgence of manbags gained momentum in 2018 when visionary designers Kim Jones and Virgil Abloh assumed the helm of menswear at French luxury giants, Dior and Louis Vuitton, respectively. Gucci's audacious reintroduction of the Jackie 1961 model in 2020, boldly positioned as unisex, marked a seismic shift in societal perceptions of gender norms. Jones, in his debut collection, unveiled a male reinterpretation of Dior's iconic Saddle bag. From crossbody bags to totes and saddles, manbags have emerged on the fashion scene, bigger, brighter, and better than ever.

The line-up of style icons championing this cause is illustrious—Jacob Elordi, Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, and the football legend David Beckham. These trailblazers are not merely breaking fashion norms but also showing us that men’s fashion is not limited to baggy suits, white tees and stuffing essentials into your pockets.

Elordi, initially misconstrued when he first embraced a handbag, debunked the assumption that he was merely playing courier for his girlfriend. Subsequent appearances with crossbody Chanel bags and a meticulously curated collection featuring Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Burberry, and Valentino have solidified his status as the flagbearer of the manbag revolution.

But where does India stand?

Manbags have made it to Indian runways, while celebrities and influencers are seen carrying them every once in a while. However, the resounding absence of this accessory on the streets begs scrutiny. Though the appetite for embracing new trends may be somewhat tempered, the torchbearers of revolutionary fashion have been carrying the manbags unabashedly. Be it, Ranveer Singh, with his huge collection of bags or Aparshakti Khurrana with his crossbody mini, the gender-agnostic evolution has made it to Bollywood and how.

While Joey loved his bag in Friends, the world wasn't ready for it then. Now that the bag has had quite the journey coming closer to the forefront, we are waiting for it to become more of a norm than a stunning (and functional) exception.