The development of new categories, for young brands, undoubtedly has the direct significance of expanding market awareness and profitability. However, getting involved in bags, a classic category that is more brand-identity and customer cohesion than ready-to-wear, means a "layer leap" from cutting-edge to classic, from young to high-end.
Compared with luxury brands with a century-old history, in addition to facing infrastructure such as raw materials, process technology, supply chain and global network, those old luxury goods that have always been centered on bags, brand value, customer loyalty, or soft power such as universal social talks accumulated over the years are "mountains" that are difficult to shake.
But even so, there is still no shortage of young entrants who choose to be bold.
Not long ago, Ami founder and creative director Alexandre Mattiussi collaborated with American singer and dancer Normani as the brand's new ambassador, and she was inspired by her muse to launch the new iconic L'Accordéon bag, which first appeared in the brand's Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show.
Ami's new signature L'Accordéon bag
Compared with the brand's inception from the main men's clothing product structure, to the first involvement in women's clothing in 2018, and the official launch of the women's wear business the following year, as well as the global retail network layout and the follow-up market strategy, Ami's focus in the past has been more on the ready-to-wear product line embellished with brand logos such as "Peach Heart A" Logo.
Although Ami's growth rate in the global and Chinese markets in the past few years has always been optimistic, of which in 2021, Ami's sales in China achieved a 510% increase year-on-year in 2020, but according to previous data, as of January 2021, the brand's accessories contributed less than 10% of sales, so attaching importance to the development of accessories products such as bags not only helps to balance brand identity, but also has the objective significance of enhancing the overall stability of the brand.
Ami Fall/Winter 2022 collection
Although the L'Accordéon bag is not the first bag in the strict sense of Ami, from the brand's recent trends, bags are obviously the category that Ami is concentrating on in recent seasons. Whether it's through the word "new iconic" mentioned many times in the brand's official message, or the consistent emphasis on the combination of artistry and craftsmanship, it can be seen that Ami, which has only been established for a decade, is trying to further consolidate the brand's identity and commercial footprint through L'Accordéon.
In addition, from the social ecological communication and retail network sales, it is not difficult to see the importance that Ami attaches to this iconic bag. Since April 4, L'Accordéon bags have been available in Ami stores and online boutiques worldwide. The brand has also released a number of videos and print advertisements in the past week on the official Weibo, Instagram and other social platforms, from warm-up to official launch.
L'Accordéon bag advertising film
Ami is not alone in the desire to further balance the brand's DNA and enhance its identity by developing the brand's first bag collection, which is more iconic, and thus achieve a more stable long-term development prospect.
When the brand's first bag collection was launched in the Spring/Summer 2017 collection, Sacai founder and designer Chitose Abe said: "My goal is to create a collection of handbags that will take the spirit of Sacai to the essence, and at the same time be excited to be able to use it for themselves." As a woman, handbags are an important part of showing who they are, so I wanted my collections to be a candid interpretation of luxury, to inject new meaning into an already hilarious category – a truly modern, playful luxury. ”
Sacai debuted bags in its Spring/Summer 2017 collection
This further confirms the classic significance of the bag category and the special value of helping emerging brands consolidate the brand's DNA.
In addition, when the Palm Beach bag debuted at the Palm Angels Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show and officially launched a few days ago, the brand also said: "Aiming to become a new iconic handbag". It's not hard to see that Palm Angels, founded in 2015, is also shifting its focus from street sportswear to leather bags.
Palm Angels launches the Palm Beach bag
With more and more first bag collections or new iconic bags, the intention of young and cutting-edge brands to upgrade their own positioning and brand level is becoming clearer and clearer. At the same time, in the face of the new entrants who stand out, those old fashion houses that have long used leather handbags, in addition to the reproduction or renovation of the brand's history as the prototype, and the classic bags have always been regarded as the key roles in consolidating the status of the jianghu, the use of the new bag type for the first time to renew the traditional image, and the consequent growing concept of the "bag family", have also become crucial vitality.
Just like the italian luxury brand Tod's new bag type in the Gommino and T Timeless bag collections in the Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show; Berluti also publicly stated that "Berluti further expands the brand's handbag collection with new leather goods products" when launching the new Jour Softy handbag in the Spring/Summer 2022 collection; or Alexander Mcqueen's First Release of The Curve Bag in the Spring/Summer 2021 collection, A modern interpretation of the brand's signature lace-up elements.
A new bag type in the T Timeless bag range
Earlier this month, with the release of Peekaboo ISeeU Petite and Micro Peekaboo ISeeU bags, Fendi also announced that the iconic Peekaboo handbag family has also ushered in two "new members", Fendi Workshop will be Peekaboo's original trapezoidal appearance to be transformed, while retaining all the iconic details of Peekaboo, while creating Peekaboo ISeeU Petite by reducing the proportions. In the brand's official news, it is mentioned that through more diverse color combinations and rare skins such as natural python skin, crocodile skin and lizard skin, this handbag family has added a unique feeling.
In addition, with the investment of more and more jewelry and watch brands in the product line of leather goods and bags, the subdivision of bags not only has a strategic significance for young brands and established fashion houses, but also for hard luxury brands with jewelry watches as the core category, it is also increasingly showing significant effects on enhancing market response capabilities.
As early as 2020, Tiffany had a hot discussion after launching the bag collection inspired by shopping bags, and the following year launched a new black series, which included three styles in the size of the shopping bag: small size, mini version and handbag.
Tiffany bag series
In March this year, Tiffany's current CEO Anthony Ledru told WWD about the brand's reform direction and strategy in the next three years, and also made it clear that in the next 2 to 3 years, Tiffany will also fully develop watches, gifts, home products and leather accessories and other categories, of which leather goods products are more optimistic about small leather goods and handbags.
This is the first time that the brand has disclosed its reform plan in detail after the completion of the acquisition of Tiffany by LVMH Group, and it is also part of the detailed strategy of designing product development, upgrading the retail experience, and regional strategic adjustment.
Anthony Ledru also described Tiffany as a sprawling "Sleeping Beauty" before the acquisition, saying: "We live in a rapidly changing world, especially in the fashion industry. Therefore, reacting in a timely manner is an important skill for many people from the fashion industry, and it is also something that the current hard luxury industry needs to adapt to. ”
It can be seen that for hard luxury brands that have a relatively slow market response such as iterative, the soft luxury category taking bags as an example has assumed one of the thousands of ideas that reflect brand vitality and respond quickly to consumer demand to a certain extent. The same strategic trend has frequently occurred in Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard and other hard luxury brands with jewelry watches as the core category.
Bulgari joins hands with the founder of the Casablanca brand
Launch of co-branded bags
Since 2017, Bulgari has launched the "Serpenti Through the Eyes Of" project, inviting talented designers and artists to collaborate to reinterpret the brand's iconic Serpenti spirit snake intentions, design bags and accessories products, and hold several launch events to build momentum for this project. As a continuation of the long-term project "Serpenti Through the Eyes Of", Bulgari recently chose to join hands with Casablanca brand founder and Moroccan designer Charaf Tajer to launch a co-brand bag composed of 2 themes.
It also includes Chopard's several limited edition dinner bags; Tasaki's limited pearl-embellished leather goods bags; and Cartier's new Panthère de Cartier cheetah bag in March.
Chopard Green Carpet bag
It is worth noting that so far Cartier has launched five complete leather goods collections, in addition to the Panthère de Cartier cheetah series, there are the Must de Cartier series of handbags that first appeared in 1973 and relaunched in 2020, and the Guirlande de Cartier series of handbags launched in 2019.
It is reported that these handbags are all completed by Cartier's internal accessories department in collaboration with jewelry carvers, boutique art masters, etc. Pierre Rainero, director of the image, style and heritage department, has said that the jewelry carving master is involved in the design of bags, in order to make the product "not out of date", just like the brand's fine jewelry.
Cartier cheetah bag
Whether it is the long-standing enthusiasm of the consumer market, or the competition from young and cutting-edge brands to jewelry and watch brands, it is confirmed that the bag business in the fashion industry will continue to grow in the future.
But at the same time as the boom, there is no shortage of increasingly white-hot competition.
How to make this bag business in the fashion industry play a full role in different brand systems with different positioning, and become the key driving force for long-term leading commercial expansion and image innovation? Especially for young and up-and-coming brands, how can the first iconic bag collection developed from 0 to 1 really stand out, rather than being reduced to a short-lived supporting role? It is a long-term test of the brand from multiple dimensions such as creative vitality, market differentiation, cultural advantages, and channel capabilities. WWD
Written by yalta
Image source brand official and online