How Designer Bags Became the New Male Status Symbol

This summer’s FIFA World Cup yielded some of the most cutthroat competition the sports world has ever seen. I’m speaking, of course, about the global battle for bag supremacy. Star footballers Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, and Virgil van Dijk stepped off planes with luxury bags costing more than most mortgage payments. Spanish wunderkind Lamine Yamal strolled through stadiums carrying an all-star lineup, including a Dior Archie and an enormous tweed Chanel shopping tote. But it was Erling Haaland, Norway’s Viking-like striker, who stole the golden man bag (and blew up social feeds) for his rotation of rare Hermès HACs, the French house’s elongated predecessor to the almighty Birkin. Together, these men pushed the Age of Bag Enlightenment to new heights.To put it another way: Guys are into bags. Luxe bags. Sumptuous bags. Rare unicorn bags. For a subset of fashion-aware men, they are the equivalent of collecting watches or vintage Porsche 911s: a hobby, a reason to nerd out, a statement, and a flex all in one. For a few years now, famous faces like Jacob Elordi, Harry Styles, and A$AP Rocky have made opulent handbags a staple of their carrying-a-coffee-in-SoHo ensembles. And, according to the data, a legion of not-so-famous fellas are following suit. Depop—now indisputably the eBay for Gen Z—reports that men’s bag purchases are up 116 percent year over year. Searches on the platform for men’s bags from Bottega Veneta and Hermès, in particular, tripled over the summer.Scroll down and you can understand why. Every legendary luxury brand, from Marni to Fendi to Loewe, is flooding the zone with duffels and crossbodies and carryalls aimed squarely at men who’ve realized that their everyday bag can say more than “I’m running late for an 8:30 a.m. touch-base.”Michael Fisher, a stylist for celebrities like Dan Levy and Sebastian Stan, calls the big-bag blowup a modernization of an age-old status symbol. “I think guys see it as, I’m successful, I need a good bag,” he says. “Kind of like what the briefcase was to your father.”Vik Soni, a 42-year-old New York City radiation oncologist, splashed out on a Saint Laurent hobo because he wanted something plush but presentable that could keep up with work, gym, and dinners out. “I care about fashion,” he says. “If I have a backpack, that might be one hundred percent functional but zero percent complementary to whatever setting I’m in.”Which isn’t to say that every man has joined Saint Laurent–carrying Soni in appreciating the beauty of a luxe bag. “If you want to splurge every now and then, is it going to be on a handbag if you’re a straight guy?” wonders Ethan Sawyer, a 35-year-old journalist getting around Vancouver with his trusty L.L.Bean tote. “It feels a bit trendy, while something like a watch feels more timeless. I struggle to picture a reality in two or three years where I’m really happy that I spent $7,000 on what is essentially a purse.”Sawyer’s watch analogy makes more sense than he may know. Before becoming the bag whisperer known to his more than 60,000 TikTok followers as @jasoninparis, Jason (he declined to provide a last name) was a serious watch fiend. Then, last year, he bought his “gateway bag”: a Louis Vuitton Speedy P9, part of Pharrell’s debut collection for the maison. That’s led to an ever-growing collection of about 30 luxury bags, like an impossible-to-get Hermès Kelly Pochette or a sold-out Schiaparelli Bijoux Secret.Wearing dialed-in fits, he’ll show off the latest white whale he’s landed—like when he mentions a rare crystal-and-pearl-encrusted Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulière 45 from the spring-summer 2026 runway show—of which Jason explains, “There’s only three left in the world....” At which point he pauses for effect, before continuing: “And that’s because I got one.” Cue the reveal, the bag glittering for his phone camera.“I don’t buy bags as an investment, I buy bags to wear,” Jason tells me. He approaches them with the same detail-loving geekery he brought to collecting watches. “The way I appreciate mechanical movements, I care about saddle stitching. I kind of obsess about leather.”But there is a difference between watch guys and bag guys, in Jason’s view. “I think men wear watches to impress men,” he says. “But I think bags can impress secure men.”Bag, $3,600, by Marni. Vest by Stone Island. T-shirt by Yeah, I Work Out. Vintage pants by Abercombie & Fitch from The Society Archive. Hat, stylist’s own.Bovine BagThe cow-print ponyskin of this Marni handbag is audacious, yes. But the trio of spacious compartments? Eminently practical.Bag, $11,000, by Fendi. Vintage crop top by Abercrombie & Fitch from The Society Archive. Jeans and belt by Diesel. Boxers by MSGM. Hat by Stetson. Sunglasses by Rick Owens. Necklace and bracelets by Eliburch Jewelry.Stripe SearchA remix of a 1997 Fendi classic, this freaky baguette requires 70 hours, and 22,600 beads, to make those tiger stripes pop.Bag, $9,800, by Bottega Veneta. Sweater by Alex Mill. T-shirt by Jungmaven. Jeans by Celine. Belt by Brunello Cucinelli. Hat by ’47. Sunglasses by Prada.Celebrity SkinBesides everything you need for work and play, Bottega Veneta’s famed woven intrecciato leather bags also carry five decades of star-studded heritage, having been hauled by everyone from Princess Diana to Jacob Elordi.Bag, $5,400, by Loewe. Shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren. Pants and shorts by Los Angeles Apparel. Shoes by Manolo Blahnik. Socks by Bombas. Scarf by Todd Snyder. Headphones by Apple. Bracelet by Eliburch x The Society Archive.Soft PowerNo, it’s not as showy as some of Loewe’s better-known bags (like the once-viral origami-esque Puzzle Fold tote), but good luck not continually caressing the lustrous olive leather of the Spanish house’s latest duffel.Bag, $27,000, by Hermès. Suit and tie by Hermès. Shirt by Dolce & Gabbana. Watch by Vacheron Constantin.Secret StashThe utilitarian canvas on this Hermès grail is really a trench coat for your bag: Pull it off and you’ll reveal the envy-inducing leather Kelly underneath.Bag, price upon request, by Chanel. T-shirt by Gucci. Shorts by Los Angeles Apparel.Nice ShagChanel’s prim handbags typically look like something Audrey Hepburn would’ve swung around while skipping through Paris. But artistic director Matthieu Blazy’s shearling creation is 50 percent Guy Fieri, 50 percent Russian oligarch housewife—and 100 percent shagged-up fun.Bag, $7,900, by Valentino Garavani. Coat by Burberry. Shirt, pants, hat, and ring, model’s own.Flower DeliveryLet this cross-stitch Valentino carryall be a reminder: The more a bag resembles your nonna’s sitting-room sofa, the more righteous it’ll look in your everyday rotation.Bag, $10,100, by Louis Vuitton Men’s. Clothing by Figs. Watch by Apple.Ultra Modern MonogramPharrell debuted the Louis Vuitton Speedy P9—a spin on a 1930s-era LV design—during his first show for the house, in 2023. Since then, he’s issued it in a slew of gassed-up hues, like this freaky slime green.Bag, $2,950, by Gucci. Tank top by Calvin Klein. Shorts by Maison Margiela.It’s All GucciThe beauty of a Gucci belt bag is that you’re adding a bunch of pockets and a hit of Gucci to any fit.PRODUCTION CREDITS:Photograph by Bobby DohertyStyling by Ron HartlebenGrooming by Laramie using OribeTailoring by Ksenia GolubProp styling by Suzy ZietzmannA version of this story originally appeared in the October 2026 issue of GQ with the title “Hey Bro, Sick Bag.”