How The Designer Bag Industry Has Beaten All Odds To Give You The Bags You Love

All successful business people across all industries will at one time say that change is necessary if not inevitable. Take a look at some of fashion’s notable names, and you will note that adaptability has been a mainstay to keep fashion trends current and, in most cases, accessible.

From environmental crisis, world wars, and now the pandemic lack of resources and preference to ethical products have shifted focus and left various noteworthy changes to what most designers are currently using to create some of their iconic pieces.

The true fashion pioneers, however, are the ones who embrace the change seamlessly that we, the consumers, are none the wiser, noticing the new changes and style adjustments as a unique style. 

So what changes have we noted over the years, and what stumbling blocks have designers had to overcome and still create some of the most popular and iconic designs from Bagover you have come to love so much?

The history of Gucci’s signature red and green webbing

In the beginning, Gucci started with creating saddles and other accessories for horseback riders which were always made from the finest Italian leather. Guccio’s designs continued to gain popularity and expanded to the world of accessories.

During Italy’s rationing during the war, leather was hard to come by because it was being prioritized for use in the army. The fashion house then started to experiment with other textiles. That’s why Gucci had to come up with an alternative, and that’s how the red and green striped webbing was created. The fashion house used canvas instead of leather, and this became an iconic detailing for the brand’s products.

Today, the brand has featured unique red and green webbing in most of its products, such as Gucci straps, Gucci belts, and Gucci footwear. Anywhere you go and spot the striped colors, then you know that’s a Gucci product.

Gucci’s iconic bamboo bag and how it came about

During the mid-1930s, as Gucci’s brand grew and expanded, the war hit, and with that came sanctions and rationing in Italy. Gucci couldn’t access leather material because most of it was being used by the military. The fashion house started using other materials to fill the rising demand for the bags.

Gucci artisans were looking for ways to use other materials towards the end of World War II, and they found that they could use Japanese bamboo to create unique bag handles, and that’s how the iconic bamboo bag was born. These bags bridged the gap between bohemian style and sophistication. They have come to characterize the brand’s designs since the 1940s.

Gucci’s relentlessness and resourcefulness to release premium products would manifest the bamboo bag. The burnished bamboo and linen decorating the handles of many mid-century Gucci’s luxury handbags were among Gucci’s staple pieces. Although the world war ended and Italy resolved the leather situation, the iconic bamboo bag remained famous and continues to be reinvented until today.

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The history of Stella McCartney’s use of shaggy deer fabric

Stella McCartney was raised as a vegetarian and is still a lover of animals. When she launched her fashion house, she promised to craft unique luxury items without using animal skin. She was raised in the British countryside, where she developed her love for horses which inspired the name Falabella to honor her favorite horse breed.

With her passion, brand mission, and amazing skills, she set herself to move her brand forward, and with time people caught up with her passion, and the world was shopping for her items.

The desire to protect and her love for animals is woven into every fabric created in the fashion house—the shaggy deer fabric, which has a likeness to suede. Creating this material takes about three hours. A special coating provides the cruelty-free material its luxurious suede texture and durability, which has an environmental impact four times lower than animal leather.

Along with other faux leathers and amazing textiles, Stella McCartney’s line of luxury handbags and other products has proven the rising demand for ethical and sustainable luxury products that was hardly noticeable in the fashion industry until her debut.

The reason Prada uses recycled nylon fabric

Prada has made its name in the fashion industry. Not only are they unique, but they impress the fashion industry every season. Prada’s journey began in 1913 when Mario Prada opened his first store selling travel bags and trunks. The quality of their bags attracted the attention of the Italian royal house, and this confirmed Prada’s reputation.

Miuccio Prada joined the fashion house in the ‘70s and changed the brand’s fortunes after undergoing a period of stagnation during that time. Her first design was the nylon bag, and it became a hit for the brand and still is up to this day.

Sensing the consumer’s desire for change since the fashion industry has been under a lot of criticism, Prada is leveraging plastic material in making its luxury bags. Prada will soon market a new initiative to create its iconic nylon from a more sustainable material known as econyl.

Not only does this new material reduce Prada’s carbon footprint on the environment, but it actively helps utilize the current waste and turning it into a luxury product. To make the new product, the brand will be recycling waste from fishing nets and the ocean, and even textile waste that has long been said to have the most impact on climatic change.

From this year, the new Prada handbags will be designed in collaboration with Aquafil, an Italian yarn producer. The new collection of recycled nylon will include items such as backpacks, tote bags, belt bags, duffel bags, and shoulder bags. 

Some of the iconic items in the fashion industry today are coined from necessity. Brands have had to adjust to change in response to shortage and sustainability to create some of the iconic pieces you have come to love.