What’s Next? My Six Predictions for the Next Wave of Bags – Autumn/Winter 26
There is a question I get asked constantly. What’s going to be the next It bag? And increasingly, I think
There is a question I get asked constantly. What’s going to be the next It bag? And increasingly, I think
A Founder’s Reflection by Tony Hookings-Skinner There is a phrase I hear increasingly often when people talk about counterfeit designer
There are some things in fashion that need absolutely no introduction. From the brilliance of Karl Lagerfeld, we gained the
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The first question many people ask when they decide to buy their first luxury handbag is not, “What do I love?” It is:
“What is the cheapest bag I can buy from the brand I want?”
That instinct is understandable. If you have always dreamed of owning something from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci or Hermès, finding the most accessible route into that house can feel like the sensible place to start. But there is a problem with treating the lowest current price as the best entry point.
The cheapest bag in a new collection may give you the logo, but not necessarily the most interesting design, the finest materials or the strongest sense of what made that house important in the first place. For the same money, you may be able to buy an archival piece with better leather, more distinctive construction and a direct connection to one of the brand’s defining creative periods.
So the question I would ask is not:
“What is the cheapest bag I can buy from them?”
It is:
“What is the best handbag I can buy for my budget?”
Those two questions can lead you in completely different directions. And increasingly, I think the archive is where some of the most compelling answers are hiding.
One of the strangest things about modern luxury is that entry prices have risen dramatically while, in some cases, the product you receive at that entry point has become simpler.
That means somebody spending £800, £1,000 or £1,500 may find themselves choosing between a relatively straightforward new bag from a major house and an older piece that represents a much more significant moment in that brand’s history. That older bag may have better leather, more complex hardware, more labour-intensive construction and a stronger silhouette.
In some cases, a vintage piece gives a direct connection to one of the great creative periods of the house and that is why I think the archive is becoming the new entry level. Not because vintage is automatically better and certainly not because old automatically means collectible.
But because the secondary market gives buyers access to something the boutique floor sometimes cannot: choice across decades rather than just seasons.
Suddenly your budget is not restricted to what a house currently produces.
You can look at Galliano-era Dior,
Tom Ford-era Gucci.
Phoebe Philo Céline.
Early Balenciaga City bags.
Fendi Baguettes and Spy bags.
Chloé Paddingtons.
Older Ferragamo.
Vintage Prada.
Also previous generations of Louis Vuitton, and that completely changes what “entry level” can mean.
This is probably the biggest piece of advice I would give anybody making their first serious designer handbag purchase.
Do not spend your entire budget simply to get the most recognisable name possible, buy the best piece. There is nothing wrong with wanting Chanel because you love Chanel, there is nothing wrong with wanting Louis Vuitton because the monogram means something to you.
But if your budget only stretches to the smallest or simplest product in a current collection, it is worth asking what else that same money could buy you. Sometimes the more interesting purchase is sitting ten, twenty or thirty years back in the archive. And quite often, it tells a much better story.
The archive creates opportunity, it also creates risk. And this is the bit that gets missed when social media tells you that you can simply “find a bargain” on a resale platform.
You cannot separate value from authenticity, a £900 handbag that should cost £1,800 is not a bargain if it is counterfeit. A vintage Chanel is not a great buy simply because somebody says it belonged to their mother.
A serial number does not automatically make a bag authentic, a receipt does not automatically make a bag authentic and a dust bag does not make a bag authentic.
And a seller saying “authenticity guaranteed” is only useful if you understand exactly what sits behind that guarantee. This is why I believe the seller matters almost as much as the handbag.
Platforms such as Vinted, eBay, Vestiaire and other marketplaces have completely changed access to preloved luxury and that has been brilliant for the market. However, accessibility can sometimes create a false sense of security. A platform is a marketplace, the seller is still enormously important.
Before buying an expensive handbag, I want to know:
Who is selling it?
What experience do they have?
Where did the bag come from?
Has it been independently authenticated?
What evidence supports the authentication?
What happens if a later authentication raises concerns?
Can I speak to somebody?
Is there a proper returns process?
Does the seller understand the product they are selling?
And perhaps most importantly:
Are they prepared to stand behind it?
Because buying luxury should never simply be about finding the lowest number on a screen, trust has value. Expertise has value, authentication has value and accountability absolutely has value.
One of the biggest mistakes I see buyers make is falling in love with a bag first and thinking about authentication afterwards. It needs to happen the other way around.
Before condition.
Before price.
Before whether it comes with the box.
Before whether somebody else might buy it first.
You establish whether you are comfortable with the authenticity and then and only then, you decide whether you want the bag.
With older pieces especially, authentication can require considerably more knowledge than simply checking one obvious feature.
Construction changes.
Factories change.
Hardware changes.
Date codes and serial systems change.
Fonts change.
Materials change.
Even techniques used by counterfeiters change.
That is why professional authentication and knowledgeable sellers matter. The more expensive the purchase, the less comfortable I would be relying purely on somebody else’s opinion in a listing description.
Collectors naturally love a full set, box, dust bag, receipt, cards, booklets and original packaging. And from a resale perspective, those things can absolutely matter.
But buyers occasionally become so focused on completeness that they forget the hierarchy. The handbag is the asset, authenticity comes first, condition comes next, then provenance, completeness and accessories.
A beautiful authentic archival handbag without its original box can still be a fantastic purchase.
A counterfeit bag with a convincing box remains counterfeit.
Vintage buyers also need to become comfortable with the idea that condition is not binary.
A twenty-year-old bag does not necessarily need to look new, in fact, sometimes part of the appeal is the way a material has aged. A beautifully softened leather, a patina, slight hardware wear or a shape that has relaxed with use. Those things can give a bag character, but there is a difference between ageing and deterioration.
Cracking, delamination, sticky interiors, dry leather, broken hardware, damaged zips and structural problems are all very different from cosmetic wear.
Learning that distinction is part of buying the archive piece well.
Not necessarily the most expensive, not necessarily the rarest, not necessarily the one everybody on Instagram wants, but the best example for you.
If your budget is £700, I would rather see somebody buy an exceptional £700 bag than stretch themselves towards a compromised £1,500 one simply because the badge is more prestigious. If £1,500 opens the door to an extraordinary piece from a major creative period, I would absolutely explore that before automatically buying whatever currently occupies the lowest price point in a boutique.
Luxury should be about more than admission to the club, it should be about design, craft, history and beautifully cared for materials.
And ultimately, the most important thing, and that is enjoyment.
Perhaps this is the part I love most, once you stop shopping purely by current collection, luxury becomes much more interesting.
You start learning creative directors, you start recognising old silhouettes, you understand why certain bags mattered. You notice the construction and you start noticing hardware and leathers.
And eventually you stop asking:
“What brand can I afford?”
And start asking:
“What extraordinary bag can I find?”
That, for me, is a much better way into luxury.
The archive may be the new entry level, but the smartest entry point is not simply finding something old and cheap, it is buying with knowledge.
Buying with patience, buying from somebody you trust.
And above everything else, buying authentic.
Tony Hookings-Skinner
Founder of Elan Archive / Tony the Designer Bag Guy