The plastic charm of soft bags Almost collapsed and beautiful, just like the rest of us

During the last fashion month, two different ways of conceiving bags clashed on the runway. On one side, we saw a family of structured bags, with trapezoidal or rectangular shapes, evoking atmospheres that were sometimes practical, sometimes elegant, but always paying tribute to some aesthetic of the past. On the other, we saw a series of bags of various sizes (mostly leaning towards oversize) that were completely unstructured, soft and pliable, often carried under the arm and almost crushed against the body.

The very nature of the gesture — the bag pressed under the arm — implied the intention behind the trend: when twisted and folded this way, the plastic volumes of the bag become visible, and more importantly, the quality of the materials stands out. It is no coincidence that many of the bags we will discuss were made in a grainy full-grain leather, the most precious and “rich” of all. The bags that were not crushed against the body were half-open and empty precisely to highlight the draping of the leather. While structured bags recalled vintage aesthetics, soft bags aim to present themselves as a more modern and abstract alternative. But let’s proceed in order.

Where the value can be seen

There are two possible reasons that explain the spread of these soft bags, and both relate to the brands’ value proposition. Rather than impressing with already familiar designs or “cute” bags, what is brought to the forefront here are the materials and volumes. It is difficult for the shape of a rigid bag to highlight the materials it is made of, whereas the opulent draping of nappa, deerskin or butter-soft suede, as it folds gently and reflects the light, showcases all the tactile qualities of the product. It is a way of emphasizing the material value of the product beyond simple branding, framing these bags as precious objects that go beyond the logo alone.

On the volume side, the generous size, lack of structure and softness not only make these bags unisex (when a man carries a Birkin it is always a very large model, since the small ones are more feminine) but also create a highly distinctive silhouette, turning them into a classic statement piece that, precisely thanks to its loose mass, generates abstract and immediately more modernist forms. All this without being too visually bulky and with the added advantage of psychologically suggesting a sense of comfort and ease.

Changing attitudes

A «comically capacious bag» ended up at the center of a viral scene from Succession years ago because it suggested a quantity of everyday practical needs that were unthinkable and almost ridiculous for the social class of the other characters. Truly rich people, after all, do not need to carry too many personal belongings: if there are too many, someone will carry them for them.

But those were the days of quiet luxury and stealth wealth, which have now gone out of fashion in favor of a more eclectic (and confused) mix of styles where a certain subdued boho aesthetic plays a significant role. Attitudes, in short, have changed. If the extreme discretion of the past reacted to the excesses of youthful streetwear, today what matters is a sense of lived experience, patina, and stratification. When translated to accessories, this attitude turns into an aesthetic of laissez-faire, of the imprecise, of the deliberately out of place.

Here another aspect comes into play, an almost experiential one of the luxury product. Beyond the visual element, there is also a tactile component related to the material, which is pleasant to touch and to feel around the body in all its softness — which is precisely why we see them so crushed and carried close to the body, more like parcels to be shipped than shoulder bags. The message here is that there is an intrinsic quality in the bag that can only be experienced by touching it, not just by looking at it. A dupe of such a bag cannot exist, as it would need to replicate not only the shape but also the materials that make it so soft.

This also creates dynamic and plastic volumes that turn these bags into almost a soft sculpture that interacts with the body — with the added advantage of being quite chameleonic and versatile in styling. But considering the emergence of the two twin trends during fashion week — the mega unstructured bags and the small bags with a geometric profile — which of the two will ultimately prevail?