A new era of the Man Bag

Women have had their share of 'it' bags for years. What started as a colloquial terms in the late 90s, It Bags were the iconic bags from luxury fashion houses, that were on everybody's wishlist. Designers competed to produce a single, easily recognisable design which, if cleverly marketed,

endorsed by the fashion press, or seen being carried by a celebrity, would become that season's must-have bag, selling in large numbers.

Over

50 percent of men carry a man bag

And now the luxury houses are targeting men. In the UK alone, over 50 percent of men carry a man bag. And while practicality is top of the list, design, quality and branding has made the men's accessory business a new area of growth for designers and their luxury houses.

New research shows that over two-thirds of men surveyed carry around 880.27 pounds worth of essentials each day in a bag. According to the study by VoucherCodes, the average man packs his bag full of high value tech items including a smartphone, laptop or tablet, digital camera and headphones.

The study found that when it comes to a man’s motivation to carry a bag, practical reasons lead the way. Around 61 percent say they carry their phone or wallet in their bag rather than their pocket for security reasons. Interestingly, 11 percent of those surveyed said a bag is more about making a fashion statement.

"Aside from the perfect suit, a great pair of jeans and stylish shoes, there's one or two accessories that every man should have to complete his wardrobe. A decent watch certainly but more importantly, a beautiful leather bag,” says the founder of eponymous accessories brand Dom Reilly.

Image: Marc Jacobs with Hermes Birkin