Longchamp tote bag a hit for all generations
Beloved by Gen Z and Princess Anne alike, the every purpose bag sees boost in John Lewis sales
LONGCHAMP’S tote bags are enjoying a resurgence thanks to the rise in flexi-working as employees haul laptops and headsets between the office and home, John Lewis has said.
The department store reported a record year for Longchamp bags in 2023, with sales of the classic totes, often carried by the Princess of Wales and Princess Royal, almost doubling in the autumn and winter season compared to the same period the previous year. Sales of all tote bags at John Lewis rose by more than a quarter last year, which the store attributed to a change in working patterns since the pandemic.
More companies are now ordering their staff back to the office in a crackdown on remote working, with many now requiring workers to attend in person for at least two or three days a week.
Beth Pettet, John Lewis’s head of fashion, told The Telegraph: “We’ve seen sales of tote bags rise by 26 per cent and that’s across the board, everything from our own label £25 Anyday large tote, right through to the iconic Longchamp Le Pliage bags, and beyond to some premium brand totes.
“We definitely think it’s something to do with people working in a more flexible way, and therefore needing to carry a laptop, a charger, maybe a headset, around with them so that they can work from anywhere.” She added: “People still want to look smart, so having a tote that you can carry everything around in and still look pulled together is key.”
Brands have also started adapting their designs to fit the needs of hybrid workers, adding more pockets and using robust materials to hold heavy objects such as laptops and cables.
“Brands are really designing into this trend and coming up with more premium leather, structured totes that are very robust to ensure they’ve got the staying power to hold all the day-to-day essentials,” Ms Pettet added. “We are also seeing features like lots of pockets to store phones and wallets and makeup.”
Longchamp’s original Le Pliage bag, a practical nylon tote that became popular in the 1990s and was carried by the Princess of Wales at her graduation in 2005, has come back into fashion and is now one of this season’s best-sellers, according to the department store.
Nick Carroll, the director of retail insights at Mintel, said the resurgence of tote bags also goes hand in hand with a return to in-person shopping.
“Personalised or luxury tote bags have increased in popularity coming out of the pandemic, becoming a symbol of both fashion and sustainability, particularly among younger demographics,” he said. “This has dovetailed with a stronger return to in-store shopping in the past year, with shoppers looking to keep easily storable bags to hand to avoid plastic alternatives.”
John Lewis said it had also seen a big increase in demand for smart clothes in more comfortable designs and fabrics, as employees embraced comfort at work. It also reported a 20 per cent increase in nightwear sales since 2021.