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What is it about a tote? The timeless silhouette has captured the style zeitgeist with a slew of fresh options that have surged in popularity. From thousand-dollar luxury leather versions by the likes of The Row, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent, to cotton-canvas ones that come free with purchase — as well as countless entry-level buys like the now-infamous Marc Jacobs tote — XL shoulder bags are as ubiquitous as they are versatile. It’s a formula that has so far proven successful, with its lasting significance continuing to grow further into the future.
In 2023, the hashtag for the Marc Jacobs Tote bag garnered 86.5 million views on TikTok alone, with Google searches for the bag surging by 1,850 per cent compared to 2022. Dior’s Book Tote was also highly sought after, averaging 40,000 monthly searches throughout 2020 to 2023. Lyst named The Row’s Margaux bag the hottest product of last quarter after searches spiked by 63 per cent, thanks to celebrity fans like Kendall Jenner, Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence.
“We are witnessing a shift in the perceived value and how much people are willing to spend on a luxury tote,” says Marta Indeka, senior foresight analyst at strategic foresight consultancy The Future Laboratory. “Until a couple of years ago, Goyard used to be the ultimate luxury tote, but now that consumers started seeing casual everyday bags as investment pieces, many brands have successfully launched designs that reached It-bag status.”
According to Net-a-Porter market director Libby Page, the site has seen a 300 per cent increase in searches for leather tote bags in the last month, representing a shifting desire for more XL, utilitarian-style bags across the board. It’s no wonder that the tote bag market is set to be worth $3.6 billion by 2030, per Data Bridge Market Research.
However, as more affordable totes like the lauded $40 LL Bean trend alongside, will these high-ticket items sustain their staying power?
“In the post-Covid world and at a time when we are following hybrid lifestyles — moving from the office to the home as well as the gym — we need a bag that can incorporate everything, whilst many will also want a bag that also serves as an aspirational product. The luxury tote serves its purpose and ticks all the boxes,” says Fflur Roberts, head of luxury goods at market research firm Euromonitor International.
“People want to use their money on things that are practical and that they can use,” agrees Gabriel Rylka, founder of luxury fashion resale platform Break Archive, who adds that they’ve noticed an increase in sourcing requests for larger tote bags as of late. “In the last two years I’ve become so overstimulated by all these micro-trends exploding on social media and I want to put my comfort and utility first. What better way to do that than a big bag? One that I can put my whole life into, take it with me everywhere and use it everyday for work.”
The tote as a walking billboard
Totes have historically been perceived as low-ticket cotton items used for the gym and as shopping bags. So, what should we make of the luxury versions?
“Purely from a marketing and manufacturing perspective these bags are an obvious choice for luxury brands,” says Roberts. “Tote bags often prominently display the brand logo or monogram, serving as a very clear status symbol that also acts as a very effective marketing tool for the brand.”
Roberts also notes that while many of these brands offer leather items, one of the more recent introductions in this space has been Dior’s cotton Book tote. “Here these bags serve as a relatively affordable product to manufacture, but [also] as a hugely aspirational and coveted luxury good from a consumer perspective.”
Totes represent an entry-level purchase from a consumer perspective too, with the style being among a brand’s most affordable bag option. Take the Marc Jacobs Tote Bag, which starts from £195 compared to their £425 leather bucket options. Or Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche tote, starting from £1440 versus their Sac De Jour, which starts at £1810. “It’s an investment piece with a low cost per wear, making it a good investment and a spending that consumers with tighter budgets can justify,” says Indeka.
Still, brands should be cautious not to overprice the tote. “Interestingly some of the coolest bags to carry right now come not from fashion brands but bookstores. The number of celebs and influencers carrying cotton totes from Daunt Books, The Strand and Shakespeare & Company have quickly become street style staples,” says Emily Gordon-Smith, content director and sustainability lead at Stylus. Bottega Veneta reimagined The Strand’s bag, Gordon-Smith notes — but at a $1,500 price tag, which received some criticism from book-focused publications like Literary Hub. And influencer Emily Mariko’s canvas totes, priced at $120, also got backlash, with social media users declaring them ugly, overpriced and out of touch in her TikTok comment section.
Moreover, while bags such as the Saint Laurent Icare Maxi Shopping and Gucci Ophidia loudly display the brand’s logo and monogram, Rylka believes a strong recognisable silhouette will become the new emblem — as seen through the popularity of The Row Margaux bag. “We’ve seen fatigue in over-logoed items with trends like ‘stealth wealth and quiet luxury’, and I think customers will always prioritise a well-constructed garment over a heavily logoed one.”
Exclusivity is the new aspiration
Flashing wealth is not the only status symbol consumers are after. Exclusivity and brand loyalty are also powerful motivators behind the tote’s popularity.
For example, Break Archive offers free sloganed tote bags to returning customers, or those who spend a certain amount on their first purchase. “Anytime I post that tote on Break Archive’s Instagram I get several DMs asking if they can buy it, how they can get it,” Rylka explains. “However we don’t offer it, and we will never offer it to purchase.”
It’s something he learnt from brands like Gucci Beauty. “There was a TikTok trend of people ordering things off of Gucci Beauty just because they wanted the free cotton branded tote that came with it. It’s a freebie but people see it as a luxury freebie, which makes it aspirational — especially as they then become hard to come by,” he adds, noting it’s a successful tactic that’s also been employed by Saint Laurent Beauty and French-based brand Sézane, the latter of which has seen their free tote bag resale for upwards of £100.
Is it possible to have too many totes? As free swag-bag versions pile up in closets, the status tote will stick around, experts say. “Making a subtle statement is really appealing to consumers right now and for high-end fashion brands this luxury reworking of the humble tote is the ultimate in new minimalism,” says Gordon-Smith on the timeliness of the luxury tote.
For Roberts however, totes are more than timely — they’re timeless. “There is nothing new about luxury tote bags — Louis Vuitton’s infamous Neverfull bag is one of the world’s most coveted luxury leather goods but has been around since 2007,” she says. “Nevertheless, 17 years on and the Neverfull bag is now one of Louis Vuitton’s most recognisable and sought-after bags and is celebrated for its versatile design, spacious interior and iconic monogram canvas, making it a timeless piece in the world of luxury goods that can also serve as an alternative asset class — to this end more consumers are seeing these products as investment piece that won’t lose their value.”
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