A slew of weird, expensive handbags have been circulating on social media, like:
- JW Anderson’s 3D-printed Pigeon Clutch: $890
- Balenciaga’s garbage bag-inspired Trash Pouch: $1,790
Affluent fashionistas love them as conversation starters; brands love the attention.
The Trash Pouch scored Balenciaga 54k+ Twitter mentions and nearly $2m in media impact value in one week, per Business of Fashion.
Joseph Hancock II, director of Drexel University’s retail merchandising program, told The Wall Street Journal that brands also benefit from shoppers who visit their websites due to the buzz but buy something else.
Novelty bags are time-tested
People have been making bags that look like other things for centuries — like this 17th-century frog purse — and haven’t stopped, with novelty purses coming in and out of fashion throughout the decades.
- Perhaps the most coveted (and most likely to retain their value) are Judith Leiber’s, the late Hungarian-American designer known for her crystal-encrusted creations.
Her work retails in the thousands and is often found in museums — and episodes of “Sex and the City.”
Fun fact: In 2008, the ~$385 BAGTV debuted with a DVD player and external screen, for all your on-the-go movie-watching needs.
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