The end of the year is a time when much of the Internet chooses to look back at what happened in the previous 12 months, and while we certainly enjoy doing that too, it also seems like an opportune time to look forward to what we can expect in 2017. Telling the future isn’t an exact science, no matter what those late-night psychic hotline commercials tell you, but based on what’s happened in the recent past, I have a few guesses as to what might happen next.
Because the accessory market’s primary unit of influence is the brand, I did some tea leaf-reading about which ones might emerge as the biggest stories of 2017. Check them out below in no particular order, because I like making lists but dislike ranking things.
1. Loewe
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To me, Loewe feels like it’s on the cusp of becoming the next great global accessories brand. LVMH made exactly the right choice by hiring designer Jonathan Anderson to lead creative direction, and his bag designs have steadily gained traction among the editors and industry insiders. That adoration has started to expand to shoppers, if the number of stores carrying ever-growing selections of Loewe accessories is any indicator. Maybe most importantly, though, Loewe’s bags feel both traditionally luxurious and forward-thinking, which is exactly the tricky balance many brands are currently struggling to find.
2. Gucci
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, this one doesn’t take a whole lot of explanation. Alessandro Michele shook up the whole accessories industry by rapidly transitioning Gucci into a must-watch brand for editors and insiders and a must-have brand for shoppers and celebrities. Gucci’s new approach–making tons of different seasonal variations on its core bag shapes, all in limited, quick-selling quantities that provide shoppers with novelty that the traditional fashion delivery calendar lacks–is something for other brands of its size to consider emulating in 2017, but there’s a catch: it’ll only work with a creative force as prolific as Michele.
3. Mansur Gavriel
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Mansur Gavriel is the best-case scenario for the launch of a new accessories brand, and the company’s restrained, methodical expansion is a great example for how small contemporary brands who find early success should go about scaling their business in order to preserve what made the brand special and attractive to shoppers in the first place. That model alone makes MG a brand whose success will continue to reverberate throughout the market; that the company’s design duo has a knack for figuring out rising trends amplifies that influence.
4. Balenciaga
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Indie fashion wunderkind Demna Gvasalia is still finding his sea legs when it comes to accessories, but his strong point of view has already made Balenciaga the first major luxury accessories brand to embrace the streetwear aesthetic that has taken over a huge portion of high-end ready-to-wear. It won’t be the last.
5. The Holy Handbag Trinity
This might seem like a cop-out (and maybe it is!), but Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton all belong to the same vortex of historical handbag influence in my mind. They’re inarguably the most important accessories brands in the world and have been as long as we’ve been plying our trade here, and they’re so good at what they do that they’ll undoubtedly continue to set trends and influence how everyone else does business in 2017.
It will be interesting how Demna Gvasalia handles main stream fashion. In the past the designer has been producing such unusual pieces, certainly not for everyone. I agree that the “Holy Handbag Trinity” is the most influential in fashion so it is not a cop-out, just reality. There is good reason for it, who can argue against Chanel?
I’d say the best decision Mansur Gavriel ever made was calling themselves Mansur Gavriel and not Hill & Friends or some other similarly pedestrian name. They were also quite smart in using tiny gold logo stamps alà Celine.
That more than anything, to me, has been their key to success.
Those are their last names, so it strikes me as a natural decision. It seems a tad reductive to me to think that their success boils down to having a unique name (names they were born with, so that’s purely luck) and to their use of small gold stamping. Surely their customers look for more in bag than that.
Yes, I’m aware these are their last names. My point is that their name was a smart choice because it sounds elegant and European. If they had chosen let’s say, Bingham Grey with a scroll-y B & G, do you really think they’d have such success even if the designs were the same? I think not.
While I agree that a good brand name can help with a company’s image, I really still think it comes down to the product. Is that naive of me to think? Coach is a multi billion dollar company with a brand name that doesn’t immediately imply even mid-level luxury. Short of naming their brand anything like Sausages & Mash and emblazoning 3 inch gold M&S on their bags, I daresay Mansur Gavriel would’ve been fine.
I think their genius lies in coming up with perfect shapes and palettes. Lately I’m drawn to their shoes. Even if I didn’t know it was Mansur Gavriel, I’d be drawn to their mules because of the perfect shade of brick or moss and the clean lines. People say those are common designs but that combination of quality and color and cut is unique to them. Even MNZ can’t compete. They have luxury that’s both relaxed and feminine down pat.
Rama, I agree with you on their shoes. I’ve also have been drawn to their mules since last year and bought two pair. I actually prefer them over my Prada Mules which I thought I’d never say. As for MG handbags, I very much dislike them and was quite disappointed in the leather of their bags. The shoes are whole different story though.
LOL at holy handbag trinity – certainly sums it up! I like Loewe but was a bit disappointed at their rather sloppy handbag finish (glazing done rather crudely) – that Bal bag is amazing, I can appreciate the Motorcycle bag style but it is not for me – however in this toned down style I am thinking about it
Gucci is feeling a bit too “busy” for me. And their willingness to discontinue items so quickly hurts resale value which diminishes retail demand. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gucci. But I’m not a fan of their current approach.
Agree with you. I am not a fan of Gucci at this time. I have one of their classics Sukey which I purchased in 2010 & love it but am struggling a bit with their line up. Too trendy for me.
Nice to see Loewe topping the list but I still miss the previous designs. Also ever since they were taken over by LVMH the finishing & overall quality has deteriorated (no surprise there…).
I’m already a Loewe shopper but i don’t think it’s going to be a huge brand in 2017. Their designs are very intellectual and JW Anderson has been their designer for 2 years now and nothing really happened in the mainstream market.
I don’t know what to think about Gucci. To be honest, the bags under the Frida era were better and i feel like their bags now are d a moment because the clothes are exciting again. Apart from the Dyonisus, i don’t think Gucci bags are really that major.
Balenciaga main goal will be to do something as big as what Ghesquiere did. Yes, the motorcycle is their biggest bag but Demna will have to design a bag that will really secure his vision for the house.
When we are thinking about the trinity, for me it’s really about Chanel & Vuitton. I like Hermes but i think that it’s always only about their 2 bags that were designed more than 3 decades ago.
At Chanel, they have the Boy Bag and the whimsical clutches of their seasonal collections and at Vuitton, above the monogram, Ghesquiere always put interesting designs for the house.
I feel like Dior can have it moment thanks to their new CD.
Too bad they are really under the radar but i think that Tom Ford bags have really improved in designs for most of them. I think it’s time for people to really focus on them now.
Love your top 5 selections, for me the Trinity, as my absolute classic favorites, as they will stand the test of time.
I have to disagree with Balenciaga. I’ve been a huge Bbag fan for years and I couldn’t be more disinterested in the garbage they are churning out lately. A bag with no hardware but great leather. Still using crummy leather on the classic bags and now it looks like plastic with however they are treating it. For leather lovers they’ve been loosing fans for a while. Bags that look like cheap reusable shopping bags?! No thanks. Their bags have terrible resale value now. I don’t know if they will ever be popular again.
Surprisingly I have become a Gucci fan this past year. I think that they are on point right now. I don’t think that they will ever command good resale. I don’t really care about that but some might. I buy bags I like and enjoy and they are the first designer who I’ve really enjoyed to look forward to since Bal. The last time I got really excited about handbags was the Bal Hamilton line which I think was back in 2012-2013? I’ve dabbled in lots of other brands since. And for some reason Gucci really caught my attention this year and it’s really resparked my love of bags again.
Of course Loewe is in the list!!!!! The quality and the JW Anderson´s desings are perfect to be in this list. The Puzzle bag is a jewel of desing and is confortable, original and handy, too. The amazona bag is a clasic, the nappa leather is like butter. The Bounce bag is an usefull toy. The Hammock bag is incredible, with several ways to wear it. And all about, the quality has no change is in the high top, only you notice when you touch a Loewe bag. They are made in Spain with artisans who have decades of expirience.
Not mentioned in the top five, and not surprisingly so, is Tod’s handbags. This past year I purchased (2) Tod’s bags (the perforated and studded Cape and the python Double T shoulder bag) and both bags have been my favorite go-to bag all year. They are so comfortable to carry and so beautifully designed. I feel that Tod’s is definitely underrated. Anyone else agree?
Yes, I was fully expecting to see Tod’s on this list! The bags are so divine. They have really turned the brand around from formerly stuffy to classic with a kick.
agreed!!!
Very good. And begs the question… for when a Loewe subforum??
Thanks for the suggestion to check out Lowe & Mansur Gavriel. I have my eve in the Balenciaga Classic City & then I’ll be done with that designed. Agree with you about the holy handbag trinity.