Lanvin Jiji bag joining the ranks of "it" bags in popularity

New York - While the departure of Alber Elbaz as artistic director of Lanvin sent a ripple of shock through the fashion industry, he seems to have left his mark with one product: the Lanvin Jiji Bag. While Lanvin has always been a very popular luxury brand, their handbags have never reached the "it" bag status of certain other designer bags like the Louis Vuitton Speedy or the Fendi Spy. Lanvin's handbags are still high quality, as they are constructed from materials like lambskin, calfskin, and suede, but they never quite had that so-called "it" factor that made them so highly covetable.

Recently, that has changed with the Lanvin Jiji bag, a mini-leather bag that has generated quite the Instagram hashtag. The bag can be seen on Instagram being carried by the likes of former Harper's Bazaar China director Li Hui and fashion blogger Julia Engel.

With the right public faces on their side, Lanvin is finally having its "it" bag moment. The company, which has been in business since 1889, has finally got the bag that has put them on the most coveted luxury bag list. The secret to their success was the perfect trend storm.

Lanvin Jiji bag joining the ranks of "it" bags

The name of the bag actually comes from the nickname that founder and designer Jeanne Lanvin was given by her friends. The bag, which features a double-gusset structure, was created to honor her, and is offered in a variety of colors.

The Lanvin Jiji bag is the perfect tiny bag that everyone seems to be wanting lately. Small bags, aside from the iconic Chanel 2.55 mm bag, are finally having their moment. At Paris Fashion Week in October, Saint Laurent and Miu Miu both sent very small handbags down the runway. Saint Laurent had velvet and snakeskin pouches, and Miu Miu had two-tone bags with chunky chain strap pouches. Karl Lagerfeld even sent a purse-sized rolling suitcase down the runway at Chanel's show.

In a 2015 survey by vogue.com, readers were asked what they thought the "it" bag of 2015 was. Celine, which is always a major contender in the luxury handbag market, actually wasn't up for signature phantom bag as many would expect. Rather, the were being considered for their smaller more easily portable Curve bag.

The small handbag trend coupled with the publicity of the bag being an ode to Lanvin herself made the sleek and stylish purse a winner. While Lanvin's sales figures have been in an unfortunate decline over the past three years, this bag could help them propel their accessories category forward. While accessories is a very competitive market, Lanvin is a known luxury label and will have that edge going for them if they were to try and put more emphasis on their accessories offerings.

photo:store.lanvin.com