The "Bag Fatigue" Phenomenon

The last time I had “bag fatigue” was with a trend, not a specific bag: micro bags!
Mini bags are fine because depending who’s holding them, they look proportionate to an adult woman’s body. Micro bags were only proportionate to a child’s body.

Don’t get me wrong: I die for teeny tiny bags hanging from a full size bag. I have a Chanel flap that fits a only box of cigarettes and I love wearing her on my medium flap. What I can’t understand is people posing with a bag they can only fit 3 fingers in the handle. Look like they stole the bag from their daughter.
Mini is small enough without looking silly ;)

I’m not a trend follower per say; lots of people die for brand new Hermes Birkins and I’m on a HUGE vintage Kelly kick right now.
When I wear my grandmother’s 1965 black crocodile Kelly, I feel like the chiquest woman in the world, even if I’m wearing jeans, a t-shirt and ballet flats.

I think the trend of Birkin customization (painting bags) stemmed from people wanting to have somehing one of a kind, since the market was so saturated with them.

I predict when there’s brand or trend fatigue, people will turn to lesser known designers and instead of having the “it” bag every single person has, they will want to own something unique and new that no one knows what it is or turn to vintage pieces, since many of them of a them are kind and depending on the era, can be something fresh again. 60’s gometric bag when everyone is wearing slouchy hobos, anyone? ;)

I am absolutely loving the dialogue everyone is having here. It really helps to read one anthers perspectives. I did not take into serious consideration the fact that many people do not live near boutiques and social media therefore satiates a NEED to see and experience vicariously.

Like I said in the post, in my opinion the bag fatigue only hits the ones who already have it all and can have it all. For the class who can’t just go out and buy whatever they want whenever they want, the overexposure of bags on instagram and other social media only make them even more desirable.

Personally I feel that the internet is undisputably the strongest information source for literally everything. From the search engines, brand sites, forums, and interest platforms. Has it created brand fatigue? I think it is a very convenient ít’s not my fault’ excuse. There is something for everyone, and in today’s reality, style is evolving, and you rarely find a single-brand patron anymore. Brands that are on the down-spiral, basically they have to seriously re-evaluate themselves. Simply because, maybe they have over-expanded, product quality does not commensurate with the price value equation, client service issues, or simply, the creative proposition does not appeal, etc, the reasons are not exhaustive, and may be all of the above. What is objectionable about the internet, in my opinion, is the prevalence and saturation of counterfeit products. I am particularly disturbed by the disregard of intellectual property, trademarks and designs. Does seeing pretty pictures of bags over and over and over again cause me to tire of the brand? Not necessarily. But seeing rip-offs of the bags from a brand over and over and over again annoys me. Some brands are overly accessible and heavily discounted end of every season. In fact some brands are heavily discounted by parallel importers IN-season. Surely we are not expecting brand equity of these brands to be worth much? There are several brands that are more loved in instagram, referencing the number of reposts, likes, comments that the posts garner. There are some brands that yield dismal number of likes, is it because of brand fatigue, or is it because the brand is no longer desirable. Something to think about.

I disagree with impact of instagram, if anything it created more desire for bag. When I think I fell in love with a bag at first sight, I visit the store several times so that it sinks in and I am sure it will be a long term love-this-bag relationship and not just impulsive and won’t-love-it-as-much-later-on relationship.. same for instagram, I check photos of the bag for days until I am sure she’s the one..Instagram created more exposure especially for people who do not have accessability to stores in their countries and after viewing on instagram they can buy online.

it is true that social media played a major role on the brand fatigue. Instagram, YouTube and Google makes it easier for consumers to have a preview of the bag which sometimes kills the excitement of the consumers. The existing preloved market also contributed to this phenomenon, honestly there’s a lot of great bags at a friendlier price which consumers love. Designs of bags are like being copied or looks the same which is where “If they have it, i don’t want it.” comes in. in my opinion its not just having the bag but the poise in carrying it. its a tough choice and challenge, but it’s up to you on how to shine in a sea of designer handbags. xoxo