The Chloé Paddington is Gen Z's new favourite grail The It bag returns in force after a vertiginous drop in popularity 10 years ago

The City bag by Balenciaga, the Louis Vuitton Speedy, and the Chanel Classic Flap have reason to worry. In a saturated vintage handbag market, filled with various models that have marked the years, Gen Z is obsessed with one model only: the Paddington by Chloé. A creation of the one and only Phoebe Philo, who in 2006, after over a decade of loyal service, left the creative direction of Chloé to join Céline, before leaving again to launch her eponymous brand in 2023, the Paddington is a true emblem of the 2000s, made popular by icons like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Christina Aguilera. While the model virtually disappeared off the face of the earth and spent a decade gathering dust at the back of fashionistas' closets, it is now back, more present and trendy than ever. But why is Gen Z so obsessed with the Paddington?

Launched in 2004 and part of the very first handbag line released by the brand in 2002, the Paddington would become one of the main protagonists—if not the lead actor—of Chloé’s leather goods story, becoming its first It-bag and giving the House international visibility. "The 8000 pieces produced in 2005 sold out even before hitting the stores," explained Vogue US. With its supple leather, its capacity to hold plenty of beloved clutter—from a 700-page novel to a tiny lip gloss—and its oversized padlock, the model immediately won over a broad audience. From pink-and-glitter-clad trendsetters to more rock-inspired stars like Courtney Love, everyone wanted it. It was revamped in 2019 by then-creative director of Chloé, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, with the Aby bag, shamelessly borrowing the DNA and essence of the Paddington.

In 2010, however, came the fall—and it was steep. With the rise of innovative and vastly different models from the now overexposed Paddington, like the Sac de Jour by Saint Laurent created by Hedi Slimane, the Antigona by Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, or the Motocross by Balenciaga, the Paddington somewhat faded into obscurity. But fashion is a fascinating never-ending cycle where elements swing from ultra-trendy to outdated in the blink of an eye, and this leather goods icon has recently made a comeback, spotted on the arms of the most fashion-savvy from Paris to Milan to London and New York. According to the vintage fashion platform The RealReal, searches for vintage Chloé bags have increased by 82% year over year. Searches for the Paddington in particular have risen by 129%, while Kerala-related searches have multiplied by eight. Social media has, of course, played a key role in this rise—or rather resurgence—especially given its aesthetic that perfectly fits the charms and bag customization trend à la Miu Miu, with keychains and pearls of all kinds, which has taken Pinterest by storm in recent months. Last month, Google searches for "Chloe Paddington Bag" even hit a new peak, the highest since the original bag’s release in 2005, thanks to the model’s reissue by Chemena Kamali presented in March 2024 at Paris Fashion Week.

In September, the model will once again be available at Chloé for the modest sum of $2,750, a 99 percent increase from the original Paddington price of $1,380. Even second-hand, Paddington prices are skyrocketing: while a few years ago it was possible to find one for under €200, today that price has easily tripled. Beyond the breath of fresh air brought to Chloé by Kamali, who put the brand and its boho-chic aesthetic back in the fashion spotlight, what truly explains the renewed popularity of the Paddington is its deeply Y2K essence. Worn in the crook of the elbow with its oversized gold padlock, the Paddington is more than a pretty leather bag—it’s a symbol of an era when everything felt easy, when days ended with an episode of The Simple Life, when rhinestones were never too much, and flip phones existed just to gossip with our girlfriends, free of comparison and toxicity. The Paddington’s return thus heralds not only the revival of an aesthetic we never really got tired of, but also the return of a whole iconic attitude and energy.