Buzz Worthy

5 Handbag Wishes Amanda Hopes Come True in 2018

We also want to hear about what you hope will happen to the accessories market in 2018

The beginning of a new year is always a great opportunity to look forward and be optimistic about the months to come, and since this is our first day back to work of 2018, that’s exactly what I’m here to do. We follow the accessories market closely and from multiple angles, and although that doesn’t make us psychics, it does give us a lot of information with which to guess how the year might go, and sometimes to hope for particular things.

Below, I’ve put together a handful of things I’m wishing will happen, and in these cases, I feel pretty optimistic about all of their probability. And at the end, we want to hear what you’re hoping for, bag-wise, in the new year!

1. Designers Experiment With More Non-Leather Materials

Velvet and woven straw bags both had big years in 2017, and those trends provided great variety relative to the usual things that designers do with leather. Textiles in particular are ripe for technological advancement to make them both more luxurious and more durable, and big-name designer brands are particularly well-positioned to innovate. Non-leather materials are also usually less expensive, which makes trying out a trend a bit more accessible.

2. More Indie Bag Brands Emerge From Social Media

The Instagram Effect first became noticeable in luxury accessories with Mansur Gavriel‘s viral success, but the first hit bag (and accessories brand breakthrough) that can be entirely attributed to the social network is the Cult Gaia Ark Bag. Whether you love or hate Instagram (and, admittedly, I tend to hate it), the app allows small designers with unique, appealing products to break through without the enormous budgets and celebrity support that would normally be required to make that happen in the traditional market. We’re always in favor of more variety, and Instagram gives it another avenue to surface.

3. Louis Vuitton and Prada Continue Their Creative Resurgence

A couple of years ago, both of these European leather stalwarts adjusted their strategies, and from an aesthetic perspective, the shift has paid dividends for both. LV and Prada are releasing bags that feel fresh and surprising, but still tied directly to the heritage of their respective brands. Here’s hoping their hot streaks continue in 2018.

4. Clare Waight Keller’s Success at Chloé Continues at Givenchy

During her recently ended tenure at Chloé, designer Clare Waight Keller oversaw some of my favorite work in the entire designer accessories market, as well as several enormously successful debuts like the Faye and Drew bags. Earlier this year, she left Chloé for the open spot at Givenchy, whose accessories had lost some of their previously impressive momentum in Riccardo Tisci’s last couple seasons. We’ve seen relatively little of Waight Keller’s accessory vision at Givenchy so far, but we’ll certainly see much more in 2018.

5. Céline Finds a Fitting Successor to Phoebe Philo

Just before Christmas, LVMH announced that legendary designer Phoebe Philo had stepped down from her post at Céline, which she had led for nearly a decade. Her shoes will be impossible to fill, but we’re hoping Céline will find someone with a similarly precise vision and knack for accessories.

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