Not your grandma’s bag: What’s driving Gen Z’s love affair with this luxury tote?

It’s the simple bag beloved by royals and the Hollywood elite. You might even own one, and your grandma probably does, too. Now it’s being discovered by a new generation, sweeping school hallways and university lecture theatres.

Founded in Paris in 1948, Longchamp made leather smoking goods before debuting women’s handbags in 1971. Its most recognisable bag, the Le Pliage – a simple, nylon tote with leather detailing – has become the breakout star among younger consumers.

Model Sarah Ellen and her Longchamp bag at Australian Fashion Week in 2022; former Longchamp ambassador Kendall Jenner; and Bella Hadid sporting a Coach bag.Credit: Getty Images

Longchamp chief executive Jean Cassegrain was surprised to see the brand take off among young people.

“It’s not something we really built,” he says. “[But] it’s a bag that is really universal. I think it works for your mother, but also for teenagers, for Australians, Germans, Koreans … everyone loves it.”

Still, the brand’s marketing seems to be angling for a younger audience. In 2018, Longchamp appointed Kendall Jenner – then 23 – as brand ambassador (Jenner no longer holds this title). Its bags have been spotted on the arms of Gen Z celebrities like Lila Moss and Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer, a “friend” of the brand.

And it’s not just Longchamp.

Coach, an American luxury fashion house popular in the early noughties, has been making a concerted effort to grow its Gen Z reach. It launched its Spring 2024 collection on metaverse platforms Roblox and Zepeto, while recent campaigns have featured girl group Katseye and actor Charles Melton.

Global fashion search platform Lyst dubbed the Le Pliage its “eighth-hottest product” in its Q3 report for 2024, while Coach ranked No.15 in its list of the “hottest brands”. As a sign of its growing reach, Coach reported record sales in Q2 last year, while Longchamp reported 44 per cent growth in 2023.

These bags are different from those more instantly identifiable with youth culture, like the grungy appeal of Vivienne Westwood’s plaid handbags or Betsey Johnson’s whimsical clutches festooned with bows and glitter. They’re simple, preppy and even a little conservative. So, what’s the appeal?

‘It’s the perfect bag’

Fifteen-year-old Sienna Jovcevski with her two Longchamp bags.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Sienna Jovcevski, 15, first came across Longchamp on TikTok a few years ago.

“Some of my friends had [also] bought some, so I just wanted to see what the hype was about,” says the Sydney-based high school student.

In early 2024, she took the plunge with her first purchase: the large travel version of the Le Pliage in black, which she liked for its versatility.

“It’s the perfect travel bag, but I could also take it to the library if I’m studying, or to dance.”

As a sign of the bag’s popularity, Jovcevski has added a name tag to her Le Pliage to identify it in a sea of identical bags toted by classmates at her dance school.

She added to her collection on holiday last year, buying the pint-sized Le Pliage (again in black) at Istanbul airport. As the founder of her own brand, Tweeny Skin, Jovcevski was able to fund both these purchases herself.

“It [the mini Le Pliage] is so good for going out because I can fit anything I need, like my phone, a lip liner. I don’t really take much with me day to day, so it fits all the essentials.”

An affordable slice of the luxury pie

While these handbags certainly hail from the world of luxury, their prices are decidedly mid-range. Bags from Coach start at about $350, while Longchamp’s Le Pliage starts at $185. These prices, while still high, are a far cry from bags like Hermes’ Birkin, which sells for at least $20,000.

Melbourne-based stylist Sally Mackinnon thinks in a cost-of-living crisis “these brands offer an ‘entry-level’ price into the designer accessory world – so the user still feels they have a ‘luxury’ brand, without the price tag”.

Dr Marian Makkar, a senior marketing lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology who researches the luxury market, agrees.

“Despite its association with British royals and the older crowd, TikTok influencers declared it the ultimate ‘book bag’ for students and a beginner designer bag, thanks to its accessible price point,” she says.

Makkar adds that these bags imbue their wearer with status, “allowing Gen Z to signal to others cultural and social capital as well as status potential wealth”.

“It gives off a quiet, inconspicuous luxury vibe all whilst being affordable, but not so accessible that everyone is carrying it. It’s both aspirational and attainable.”

Cassegrain says its pricing is just plain and simple.

“They’re well-made products with nice materials, but they’re not outrageously expensive because we don’t apply marketing to our pricing strategy.”

What is a heritage brand?

A heritage brand, Marian Makkar explains, “is part of a brand’s identity that captures their core values, symbols, longevity and history that a company leverages for marketing purposes and to build brand equity”.

Just about any fashion house that leans on its history could be counted as a heritage brand but common examples include Burberry, Chanel and Valentino.

Not your grandma’s bag

Despite their transcendence of generations, Gen Z is putting its own spin on the bags.

Mackinnon says many are mixing their handbags in new and eclectic ways.

“There are a lot of Gen Z styling these bags back with their vintage and second-hand finds. They are not all about brands – they like to mix pre-loved with affordable luxury. This combination makes them feel a sense of nostalgia.”

Others are “Jane Birkin-ifying” their bags – a trend inspired by the British fashion icon’s habit of adorning her namesake Hermes bag with stickers and charms, using keychains, beads and plush toys for a personal, lived-in effect.

Luxury and Gen Z

The luxury market struggled in 2024 amid soaring product prices, consumer fatigue and market downturn, with heritage brands like Burberry reporting bleak sales. Amid this all, brands have been grappling with retaining existing customers while remaining relevant to younger consumers.

Chanel, a brand more often associated with country clubs than youth culture, has been attempting to reach Gen Z through its beauty offerings, placements on shows like Emily in Paris, and brand ambassadors like Margaret Qualley.

So, as luxury’s upper echelons become increasingly inaccessible, consumers who don’t want to opt for fast fashion dupes of designer products might find what they’re looking for in brands catering to the middle market.

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