Are Messenger Bags Making a Comeback?

When I think of messenger bags, I don’t think of a schoolbag meant to carry the miscellany required for a long day of college classes. No, I don’t think of the practicality of them at all. Rather, when I think of messenger bags, I actually think of one messenger bag in particular. The only messenger bag that ever mattered.

Ok, ok, I’m being a little dramatic, but immediately what comes to mind at the mere mention of a messenger bag is the Chanel Grafitti Messenger bag from Spring/Summer 2015. The messenger bag was released a year after one of Chanel’s most divisive bags to date, the Grafitti Backpack of Spring/Summer 2014, presumably to capitalize on the backpack’s demand and sales success.

I loved the messenger bag just as much as I loved the backpack, and I still feel a pang in my stomach when I see a rare one IRL. Today, the messenger is making a comeback, which has me all in my feels for the greatest messenger bag there ever was.

The Modern Messenger

With the return of big bags and designers paying more attention to functionality than the trend towards micro-minis, messengers, too, are have their second-coming. It makes sense, because alongside the return to more practical silhouettes is fashion’s constant obsession with nostalgia, and messenger bags were once a highly-beloved silhouette.

From the runways of Gucci and Coach to the latest and greatest bags from Prada and Bottega Veneta, we’ve been seeing a return to the casual-cool messenger bags popularized in the 2000s and 2010s. The ideal messenger bag is a perfect combination of utilitarian and fashionable, a perfect shape for a day bag. As spring assortments are slowly trickling out, you can bet we’ll begin to see more messengers too. Take a look below at our favorite so far.

Fashion Meets Function