Working in luxury fashion, specifically the very niche area of handbags, I’m always asked about bags. From curious strangers who find my job fascinating to friends and family, the amount of purchasing advice I’ve given over the years is immeasurable.
I’m often asked what’s the best bag to buy right now, which brands are the most popular, which are a good investment, and which are a passing trend. It’s fun and often insightful to talk about bags with people who are ‘real’ consumers.
While yes I am a luxury consumer, having the inside knowledge that I do, seeing samples before they even hit stores, and working around bags every day, it’s hard to have an unbiased opinion. This makes talking to those who don’t work in the industry fun and interesting.
In the last couple of weeks, two very different friends have asked me the same question. Now, it’s a question I’m now posing to you. What would you tell a friend who wanted to buy a suede bag?
Luxe But Delicate
There are a lot of good reasons to buy a suede bag. Suede both feels and looks luxe, which is exactly the point my first friend, who tends to purchase one purse a year (non-luxury) and wear it until she gets sick of it, was trying to make when I raised my eyebrows at the bag she was after.
As a friend, I gave the advice I’d give myself when she texted me a photo of a suede STAUD bag. I explained how much I liked the bag but worried that it would show wear quickly, especially given that this friend is not a collector and doesn’t have a big collection of bags to rotate.
“Haven’t you noticed that I don’t even own a suede bag!” I told her, backing up my advice with the facts.
Suede, while beautiful, is hard to keep looking new, even with the utmost care and caution. I take really good care of my bags, and as much as I would love to buy a suede bag, the thought of one really makes me nervous, if I’m being honest.
The next bag in question was a grey suede Bottega Veneta Teen Jodie that my friend shared with me in an Instagram Reel. “What about this one?!?” she excitedly typed, following up on an in-person conversation about the bag she was thinking of purchasing on an upcoming trip to Paris.
Even over digital communication, I could sense her excitement, and I really didn’t want to burst her bubble, but I offered my warning anyway. Truthfully, I’d like another Jodie Bag as well, and the Teen is a great option, which I mentioned before gently suggesting she purchase it in leather instead.
Since then, I’ve been seeing a lot more suede bags on social media, and I, too, am finding myself more and more attracted to them. However, I still don’t see myself actually pulling the trigger on one.
Am I being too cautious, or are my hesitations warranted? What do you think?
