If you’ve been a reader of PurseBlog for a while, or if you’ve ever stumbled upon one of our Purseonals bag reviews, then you’ve likely heard us talk about staying power. In short, staying power is the ability of a product to stick around. While fairly simple in thought, staying power relies on a few things.
How to Achieve Staying Power
For starters, a product must be visible in the eyes of consumers, and a brand’s marketing department spends a lot of time (and money) on keeping its products relevant. However, visibility alone won’t withstand the trend cycle if the product itself is generating very little demand. Minimal demand for a certain product equals few sales, which ultimately kills the staying power of a product; if a brand isn’t making money off a certain handbag, it’s not going to keep spending money to produce a bag that isn’t actually selling.
Conversely, if demand for a bag continues to be incredibly high, it’s foolish for a brand to discontinue it. That’s why we continue to see bags from a previous designer’s reign at a brand continue to live within a new designer’s assortment. Take many of Phoebe Philo’s designs at Celine, like the Luggage Tote or the Belt Bag; as long as they’re big sales drivers for the brand, they’ll continue to be produced.
The Givenchy Antigona: Here to Stay
While bags can be a divisive topic, as everyone’s opinions vary greatly and what the majority of people may like and be obsessed with, there are always some of us who fall into the minority category. For the most part, I can understand a certain level of intrigue regarding any bag. Even though it may not be my taste, I can see why it might appeal to others and why it is or has the potential to be successful.
Such is the case with the Givenchy Antigona. While truth be told, I never liked this bag, I understood its popularity and its cultural relevance—to a degree. But after a certain point, I felt it was reaching its prime, and I saw its relevancy slowing down. I’m not one to dance around and admit when I’m wrong, and boy was I wrong. The Antigona remained and still remains, with new iterations and even a celebration of its 10-year anniversary behind us. Its staying power has definitely surprised me!
