Purses and bags—what woman would willingly forgo them? They are the most cherished, beloved, and dreamt-of accessory, incredibly adept at completing any outfit and elevating it. However, purses have a long and storied history and were certainly not created to fulfil our fashion dreams. From the bags used by hunter-gatherer societies, which primarily aimed to ensure our survival, to the professional purses of every kind and type.
History, however, evolves rapidly, and certainly the last two centuries have been dominated by the concept of bags associated with purses for women. The choices have become innumerable, and we had several designers who transformed this object using the very stuff of dreams, as well as the most exquisite materials, whether leather or fabric.
A symbol of liberation or not?
One of the most heated debates about women’s purses and bags concerns their functional nature and the role they have played in all our lives. There are, in fact, many purses that have been recovered as artefacts, indicating that women’s lives in ancient times were particularly arduous.
The symbol, in that case, was of a woman bent over in the fields or reaching towards trees to gather, with indescribable sweat. The role of the provider of food and well-being for the family is often forgotten, but it was absolutely predominant, at least in this initial historical (and prehistoric) phase of women’s purses.
And what about more modern times?
The modern purse underwent a significant transformation during the 19th century. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, purse production evolved with the creation of more practical and functional designs. For example, the famous reticule, a small mesh purse very popular among women of the Regency period, was used to carry small personal items.
In the 20th century, purses established themselves as symbols of status and fashion. Coco Chanel, in the 1920s, revolutionised the world of purses with her Chanel 2.55, a shoulder bag that forever freed women’s hands, symbolising the overly arduous work to which they were subjected, even in their leisure time. The 1950s and 1960s saw purses become increasingly elaborate and decorative, ultimately transforming them into the symbols of femininity and style they remain today.
Another significant turning point in the history of purses was the rise of the feminist movement in the 1970s, with Vivienne Westwood reflecting these changes in her punk tones. Purses began to reflect women’s desire for emancipation and independence, symbolising the ability to live outside the home, with much or little, but without asking anyone’s permission. This phase was marked by larger, more capacious models, designed to allow women to carry everything necessary for their professional and personal lives—and also for leisure.
The decision is up to you
Freedom, however, also means deciding what to do with such an important accessory, deciding how to interpret it and what role it plays in our daily lives or even for the most important occasions.
What is freedom if not the freedom to decide the cultural parameters and interpretations of every gesture, every thought, and every object we use in our daily lives? It’s from this point that we want to embark on a new interpretation of women in terms of the most absolute freedoms. For great fashion, which does not always mean the fashion of major brands, it is also an extraordinary expressive tool for women all over the world. Thus, long live the purse, long live women, and long live the freedom to think of it, even about purses, just as one wishes.
