Luxury Purse Brands: From Harness Workshops to the Handbags You Carry

In 1837 Thierry Hermès opened a harness and saddle workshop in the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, a quarter echoing with the clatter of horseshoes. There was no handbag in sight. The first leather handbags came in 1922, after the wife of Émile-Maurice Hermès complained that she could not find one she liked. I think about that whenever I read a list of luxury purse brands: almost every famous name started as a maker of something else. I went deeper on a related idea in French Luxury Brands.

 

Prada began in Milan in 1913 as Fratelli Prada, two brothers, Mario and Martino, with a shop whose sign promised luxury objects and luggage. Gucci opened in Florence in 1921 under Guccio Gucci, first as a leather goods and luggage retailer. Bottega Veneta followed in 1966 and introduced its woven Intrecciato leather in 1975, with soft bags free of heavy hardware and without a logo. Trunk makers, saddlers and luggage shops: that is the real lineage.

 

Italy comes first because the houses are so varied. In my fashion dreams she is crossing a cold October piazza with the black Galleria Saffiano tote from Prada on her shoulder. The woven Bottega Campana in black with brass hardware is the quieter version of the same woman. For a night out I would pick the red suede Rockstud mini from Valentino Garavani, and for a coat-heavy commute the navy Hug crossbody from Ferragamo, which keeps your hands free.

 

The Tod's mini in black, with its T ring clasp, is the one I would hand to anyone who owns only one bag. Fendi's Mini Mon Tresor bucket in lagoon blue and the dark red Miu Miu Aventure bring color, and the beige Gucci Ophidia with its web stripe is the easy way into the house. A tip: press a thumb into the leather near the handle base and watch how it recovers. Good hides settle back slowly and evenly.

Look at the corners first. On a quilted or structured bag, the corners are where weak construction gives up. After 17 years learning trunk making, Louis Vuitton opened his own house in 1854 and built a flat-topped trunk that could be stacked in a ship's hold or a railway baggage car, unlike the domed trunks of the time.

 

That practical streak shows up in the black Loulou in noir lambskin from Saint Laurent, with its gold monogram closure, and in the Jamie shopping tote in black lambskin, the roomier sister for a laptop and a coat. Chloé's black Paddington, with its padlock, and the cashmere gray Marcie saddle bag are for days when you want the bag to look a little lived in. Givenchy's small Voyou bucket in shiny leather has a draped shape that softens a sharp wool coat.

 

Then there is the fun side. Balenciaga's Le City in pop orange, with studs and a tassel, is the bag I would put against all-black knitwear in October. Jacquemus gives you two scales: the black Le Bambino with its logo plaque, and the white Le Grand Bambino with the scrunchie-style handle.

 

In the fitting room, open and close every clasp ten times. A gold monogram or padlock should snap cleanly without catching the leather beside it. Run a finger along the handle edge as well: it should feel smooth and sealed, not tacky.

 

What I would skip: the white bag if your daily commute is a crowded subway in wet weather. Save it for dinners and weekends.

Somerset, England, is not where most people expect a luxury handbag to come from, but Mulberry was started there in 1971 by Roger Saul, who set up the brand at his kitchen table with backing from his mother. The name and the tree logo came from the trees he passed on the way to school. The house says it is proud to be the largest manufacturer of luxury leather goods in the UK, with two factories in Somerset where over 50% of its bags are made.

 

The small Iris in vintage oak suede, with its braided top handle and brass ring lock, is the October bag in this edit. Burberry brings the checks: the small beige Check tote has leather handles and room for a paperback, while the Primrose small top-handle in archive beige suits a desk. Alexander McQueen's Locke in black leather with silver hardware is sharper and a bit severe, in a good way.

 

For a softer line, Anya Hindmarch's Mortimer in black leather has a front flap and a gold turnlock, and it works with a belted trench. Strathberry's Mosaic top-handle in black grain leather has a bar clasp. DeMellier's tan Vancouver crossbody is the easiest one to wear with jeans, and Stella McCartney's black 3-Chain Falabella is the vegan option with its signature chain trim.

 

Test the hardware where it meets the leather. Tug the ring lock, the clasp and the chain gently: there should be no wobble and no gaps.

 

What I would skip: a bag with a bold check if the rest of your outfit already carries pattern. Let the check be the one loud thing.

Coach was founded in New York in 1941 by six artisans, and the house grew under Lillian and Miles Cahn. The Cahns were intrigued by how the soft leather of a baseball glove gets better with time instead of breaking down, so they created a proprietary process for tanning skins that kept their strength and elasticity. Later, designer Bonnie Cashin brought turn-locks and outside pockets to her Cashin-Carry bags. That is the thread through the American labels here: practical first, polished second.

 

The maple Brooklyn shoulder bag from Coach has the turnlock flap that Cashin made famous, and it is the one I would carry from October to the first snow. Tory Burch has two: the dark cocoa suede Lock east-west satchel, which looks best against a camel coat, and the black pebbled Romy bucket, whose texture hides scuffs on a daily commute.

 

Marc Jacobs makes the sahara suede and croc-embossed dual convertible bag, a shoulder bag that can be worn two ways. Proenza Schouler's Hex bucket in deep navy has a hex-shaped closure that adds one clever shape. Then the quiet ones: the Blake from Khaite in black with a sleek curved frame, the minimal Marlo 12 tote from The Row, and the Pina top-handle from Mansur Gavriel with its rounded shape.

 

Check how the bag stands on a table when it is empty. A good structured bag keeps its shape, and a good slouchy one folds without cracking at the creases. With suede, look at the nap in daylight, because shading should be even.

 

What I would skip: suede on a rainy-day commute unless you have it treated. Black pebbled leather is the safer pick for those mornings.

Not every luxury label has a hundred years of archives. The newer ones lean on one idea and do it very well, and a quick lesson helps: a bag labeled "genuine leather" is not necessarily the best grade, because that term does not describe a specific grade. Full-grain leather, by contrast, keeps the entire grain layer and develops a patina instead of wearing out. In a pared-back shape, the hide does all the work.

 

Toteme's T-Lock top-handle in black is the cleanest example, where the clasp does the decorating. Loewe's medium Flamenco chain shoulder bag in dark burgundy has a gathered shape and a chain strap that works with a wool coat in the cold months. Jil Sander's Tangle tent shoulder bag in eggshell is a calm, tent-shaped silhouette for a pale knit and trousers. Wandler's Penelope slouch in coffee crust is soft and a little relaxed, for jeans and a leather jacket.

 

Alaïa's Le Teckel is long and black, with tall slim handles, and the effect is almost architectural. Savette has two quiet pieces: the Symmetry Slim small top-handle in black with a silver clasp, and the Symmetry Soft medium in brown, which is the roomier one. Khaite's Donna east-west top-handle in ebano suede is the darkest, softest shade here.

 

Look at the inside before you decide. Lining seams should be neat and the edges should be even, with no thick ridges in the paint.

 

What I would skip: a slouchy shape if you carry a laptop every day. Choose a structured top-handle instead.

I would start with the leather. Press it, bend a corner, and read the label, because the hide and the edges tell you more than the logo ever will. Then I would check the hardware, the clasp, the stitching at the strap and the seams inside.

 

After that, I would choose by life, not by country. A daily commuter wants the Brooklyn or the Mortimer, an evening person wants the Rockstud mini, and a minimalist should look at the Marlo 12 or the Blake. The saddler in 1837 would approve of that order: make it well first, name it later.

 

If I could only carry one this October, it would be the small Iris in vintage oak suede. It belongs to a brand that started at a kitchen table and still makes its bags in Somerset, which seems a good way to end a story that began with horseshoes in Paris.