Designer IT bags get cold shoulder from today’s eco-friendly women

Mar 12 2008 by Sally Williams, Western Mail

FOR years, they have been the must have accessory, seen draped over the shoulders of Posh Spice, Kate Moss and thousands of copycat Welsh women.

But the end could soon be in sight for the “It” bag.

In these more eco-friendly times, it seems women could soon be turning their backs on expensive, celebrity-endorsed bags for something a little more down to earth – and easier on the bank balance.

Although sales of bags from the likes of Prada, Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo are set to smash through the half billion pound mark this year, research from Mintel today predicts that women will start to choose more reasonably priced, eco-friendly handbags in the coming five years.

Katrin Magnussen, senior fashion analyst at Mintel, said, “Women have become more cynical about celebrity endorsed products. Many will no longer be as quick to spend hundreds, even thousands of pounds on a bag just because the likes of Posh Spice have been snapped with one, especially when these days the must-have looks are quickly translated to the high street.”

She said Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” caused a real stir and the recent launch of Giles Miller’s £180 eco-friendly “Brown Paper Bag” shows that the ethical movement is now starting to gather momentum in the handbag market.

And with the price of essentials such as food and fuel looking set to increase further, she said women may well need to tighten their purse strings.

She said, “Although concerns about cheap labour and environmentally unfriendly practices are only just starting to impact the accessories market, there is a clear emerging green effect here. We are increasingly seeing bags that are made from eco-friendly, natural and recycled materials.”

Lauren Watson, 28, a partner at Knight Frank in Cardiff, believes the increased popularity of ethical bags is a good thing. She said, “I think it’s such a waste that people use huge numbers of carrier bags, I think if they can make green bags fashionable, people will be more inclined to use them.”

Lauren herself is a fan of designer bags and has six Mulberry handbags – beloved of celebrities like Kate Moss, Alexa Chung and Jessica Alba – but she also has several ethical shoppers.

She said, “I got my first Mulberry bag around 18 months ago, and now I have six – I do like nice bags and shoes! But I also have an Asda green shopper and an M&S bag for life, I’ve got a few of those that I keep in the back of the car.

“I consider them as very separate things – I would consider the designer handbags as business and fashion items, whereas the green bags are for things like the weekly shop and for bringing lunch from home to work or perhaps bringing a change of clothes into work.

“I use the green bags as additional bags, alongside my handbag.”

David Thomas, owner of Jon Ian, a handbag shop in Cardiff, said his customers are beginning to change their buying habits.

He said, “There are still women who, if they see a bag they want they will go for it, whatever the price – sometimes paying £600 or more for one designed by Anya Hindmarch for example.

“But there is a lot going on now in the minds of our customers.

“They are starting to choose bags for their wear and tear qualities and their recycling and eco credentials, too.

“The days of a bag that looks fashionable for a few months have gone.

“Common sense is being factored into bag choices now.”

Although the amount women spend on handbags is likely to change in the future, it seems the need for a new bag is as great as ever. In the past 12 months, 55 per cent of women in the UK bought a new handbag – that is 14.2 million bag buying ladies.

And women aged 15 to 24 years old are leading the way, with 71 per cent of them buying a new bag over the past year.

Handbags are not only the largest accessories market, growth here far outpaces that of all other accessories.