A brief history of handbags

Although it is unknown when and where the first bag in history appeared, the earliest indications of bags date back to ancient Egypt as hieroglyphs have been found showing male figures with a kind of bag tied around their waists. It is believed that it was used to carry seeds in plantations or prey in the case of hunters. 

From there the following data advances to the 14th century, which is when we have the following information. At this time, small leather bags became popular and were used by both men and women, although for different purposes. 

Men used them to carry money, while women used them to show off their social status. 

The origins of the handbag as we know it today began in the 18th century. 

These bags were made of fabric and could be embroidered or highly decorated; the more embellishments, the higher the social status. In fact, it was an indispensable condition in every woman's look in order to be considered for marriage.

Since then, the handbag has been an attire whose shape and design has varied according to the needs. Moreover, at the mercy of the aesthetics of the moment.

With the advent of industrialization and the appearance of the train, the needs changed again and so came the hand luggage.

In addition, the great fashion houses became present.

As women became more independent and their lives ceased to revolve solely around the home, the handbag became an indispensable element for their lives in the outside world. It was a survival kit, a portable vanity and a mobile office. 

Due to the growing need for this accessory, a multitude of anonymous designers began working for handbag manufacturers, but it wasn't until after World War I that the handbag established its presence and surrendered to the whims of fashion. 

In the early decades, handbags in the 1920s became authentic style vehicles, modern and stylish; in the 1930s subject to surrealist fantasies; functional in the 1940s; feminine in the 1950s; and slung over the shoulder of every liberated woman in the 1960s and 1970s. 

It was not until the 1980s that Karl Lagerfeld increased the size of the logo on the Chanel 2.55 bag and put it on display, thus starting the furor for labels and logomania.