Increasingly in the past few menswear seasons, most notably in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, there has been an embrace of both femininity and feminine fabrics, prints and pieces within the collections. There had been a short-lived trend of the ‘man bag’ back when the ‘metrosexual’ was in vogue (and I won’t get into the strange misogyny behind the ‘man bag’ as a term) but the purpose of this trend forecast is to talk about the increased presence of handbags amongst men’s collections – a trend that I believe will increase in significance in future seasons, not just Fall 2025 but also Spring 2026. This trend forecast gathers together 20 different handbag styles including hobo bags and flap handbags, along with one further related trend – bag charms. With each handbag style discussed there are some short notes – these aim to give insight on how a buyer, merchandiser, stylist or other fashion professional can best harness this trend to their advantage.
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For whatever reason, perhaps their association with womenswear, or maybe even just the simple fact that men’s clothing has more pockets than womenswear does, handbags for men haven’t yet made the transition from runway to high street and the general public. However, handbags as a trend within men’s runway shows and lookbooks are now so prevalent that they cannot help but make the jump, at least in part, with so many different styles of handbags being presented in the collections.
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The 20 handbag styles below are divided into three sections: handbags by shape, handbags by style, and handbags by aesthetics.
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JW Anderson Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Jonathan Anderson; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Louis-Gabriel Nouchi; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
Within this trend forecast I have ignored items like duffel bags and backpacks as those add nothing new to the conversation in terms of femininity rising in prominence within men’s collections – they are bag styles that are menswear classics and will continue to be staples within collections both on the runway and in retail. The fact that there are new trends arising for Fall 2025 does not mean that you need abandon the classics – there will always be customers who are more conservative and prefer not to embrace the new trends. However it’s always important to cater to the early adopters in the fashion world, and to stay ahead of your competitors in the retail landscape. Needless to say, if you can carry the newest trends first, you will gain the customers seeking those trends first. Just how much of your product mix you want to dedicate to these newer styles is up to you and should be based upon sound reasoning – if you need guidance on data analysis and merchandise planning, reach out to me for a consultation so we can determine what would work best for you and your clientele.
I have divided these 20 (plus 1) styles into three different sections: Shape, Style, and Aesthetics, with each section being further split into specific styles for clarity.
Handbags by Shape
1. Cylindrical Handbags
S.S. Daley Fall 2024 [Florence] Creative Direction: Steven Stokey-Daley; Photo: Andrea Adriani for Gorunway.com
Kidsuper Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Colm Dillane; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
From the sleeping bag-inspired version at S.S. Daley to the more practical versions at Kidsuper and Denzil Patrick, and the mini style at Fiorucci. The cylindrical shape adds instant interest but can also be practical if large enough.
Denzil Patrick Spring 2025 Menswear [London] Creative Direction: Daniel Gayle; Photo: Daniele Schiavello for Gorunway.com
Fiorucci Fall 2024 [Milan] Creative Direction: Francesca Murri; Photo: Fiorucci
2. Hobo and Semi Circle Handbags
Eckhaus Latta Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta; Photo: Thistle Brown for Eckhaus Latta
Eckhaus Latta Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta; Photo: Thistle Brown for Eckhaus Latta
The hobo bag rose in popularity on women’s runways recently and has already made the jump to high street (for women), mostly as a result of the fashion world’s nostalgia with all things 90s and Y2K. Designers are now using the style in men’s collections too.
Gucci Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Sabato De Sarno; Photo: Gucci
Random Identities Fall 2024 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Stefano Pilati; Photo: Random Identities
3. Mini Handbags
Amiri Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Mike Amiri; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Wiederhoeft Fall 2024 [New York] Creative Direction: Jackson Wiederhoeft; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
While not exactly the most practical of designs, the mini handbag is still a popular choice and it gives luxury and premium brands an entry-priced option for aspirational shoppers.
Versace Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Donatella Versace; Photo: Alessandro Lucioni for Gorunway.com
032c Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Maria Koch; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
4. Narrow Handbags
Paul Smith Spring 2025 Menswear [Florence] Creative Direction: Paul Smith; Photo: Paul Smith
Sunnei Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Great for a laptop and the essentials… and also for fitting oneself into a crowded underground train during rush hour!
Courrèges Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Nicolas Di Felice; Photo: Courrèges
Bottega Veneta Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Matthieu Blazy; Photo: Gorunway.com
5. Oversized Handbags
Alyx Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Matthew M. Williams; Photo: Alyx
Bluemarble Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Anthony Alvarez; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
While men’s oversized bags tended to be duffel bags or backpacks, these styles are more feminine and less sporty in nature.
Nihl Spring 2025 Menswear [New York] Creative Direction: Neil Grotzinger; Photo: NIHL
SR_A Spring 2025 Menswear [London] Creative Direction: Samuel Ross; Photo: SR_A
6. Shopper-style Bags
Bianca Saunders Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Bianca Saunders; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
Zegna Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Alessandro Sartori; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
Shopper-style bags are more of a utilitarian choice, but appear worn on the shoulder, made of leather, or in bright colours as a standout piece of the outfit.
Prada Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
DSquared2 Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Dean and Dan Caten; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
7. Structured Handbags
Balmain Fall 2024 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Olivier Rousteing; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
Soshiotsuki Fall 2024 [Tokyo] Creative Direction: Soshi Otsuki; Photo: Soshiotsuki
Handbags are given defined structure such as rectangular (Balmain), or a retro doctor’s bag (Tanner Fletcher).
Tanner Fletcher Fall 2024 [New York] Creative Direction: Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell; Photo: Lawrence De Leon for Tanner Fletcher
Marine Serre Fall 2024 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Marine Serre; Photo: Elizabeth Bick for Marine Serre
8. Tote Bags
Lazoschmidl Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Josef Lazo and Andreas Schmidl; Photo: Sascha Heintze for Lazoschmidl
Sunnei Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Tote bags are practical and may be considered a safer choice within a men’s range – clients just dipping their toes into the femininity trend are more likely to go for this style than say, a flap bag.
Tanner Fletcher Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell; Photo: Tanner Fletcher
Giorgio Armani Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Giorgio Armani, Leo Dell’Orco and Gianluca Dell’Orco; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Handbags by Style
9. Bowling Bags
Wales Bonner Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Grace Wales Bonner; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Avavav Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Beate Karlsson; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
A staple of the 2000s (for women), the bowling bag is back on trend, with designers including it in men’s collections too this time around.
JordanLuca Fall 2024 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto; Photo: JordanLuca
Random Identities Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Stefano Pilati; Photo: Random Identities
10. Clutch Bags
System Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Kim Hee Soo; Photo: System
MM6 Maison Margiela Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Heikki Salonen; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
The clutch bag is of course associated with evening wear, and it will be interesting to see if men’s clutch bags will go mainstream. Unisex options can be a safer compromise.
Sunnei Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Willy Chavarria Spring 2025 Menswear [New York] Creative Direction: Willy Chavarría; Photo: Diego Bendezu for Willy Chavarria
11. Crossbody Handbags
Egonlab Fall 2024 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
Gucci Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Sabato De Sarno; Photo: Gucci
Strap handbags can be worn crossbody or on the shoulder – it’s all down to the preference of the wearer.
Woolrich Black Label Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Todd Snyder; Photo: Woolrich
Masu Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Shinpei Goto; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
12. Flap Bags
Tod’s Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Matteo Tamburini; Photo: Tod’s
Rhude Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Rhuigi Villaseñor; Photo: Rhude
Flap bags feature metal brand seals, bringing them closer in design to their womenswear counterparts.
Marni Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Francesco Risso; Photo: Giovanni Giannoni for Marni
Luar Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Raul López; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
13. Grab Bags
Magliano AW2024 Menswear [Florence] Creative Direction: Luchino Magliano; Photo: Magliano
Versace Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Donatella Versace; Photo: Alessandro Lucioni for Gorunway.com
The grab bag is not a style of handbag per se, but more of a styling choice. Going into Fall 2025, as men’s collections include more handbags, they can increasingly be styled as a grab bag, tucked under the arm of the wearer.
Wooyoungmi Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Madame Woo and Katie Chung; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Woolrich Black Label Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Todd Snyder; Photo: Woolrich
14. Shoulder Bags
Ernest W. Baker Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Reid Baker and Inês Amorim; Photo: Ernest W. Baker
Burberry Spring 2025 [London] Creative Direction: Daniel Lee; Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
Wearing handbags on the shoulder is a styling choice that is becoming more widespread going into Fall 2025.
Marni Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Francesco Risso; Photo: Giovanni Giannoni for Marni
Ami Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Alexandre Mattiussi; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
15. Top Handle Handbags
Bally Spring 2025 [Milan] Creative Direction: Simone Bellotti; Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
Simon Cracker Fall 2024 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Simone Botte; Photo: Simon Cracker
Top handle bags have always been a staple for men, but they have tended to be briefcases or in the style of document holders. The above example at Bally has a flap, making it more akin to women’s styles, Simon Cracker shows a top handle handbag with a distressed appearance, while at Emporio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana the shape is softer and less defined.
Emporio Armani Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Giorgio Armani; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Handbags by Aesthetics
16. Pattern and Print
Loewe Fall 2024 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Jonathan Anderson; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Egonlab Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Florentin Glémarec and Kevin Nompeix; Photo: Egonlab
Patterned and printed handbags draw attention to the item. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson collaborated with American artist Richard Hawkins, using his paintings printed on bags, trousers, hoodies and other items. A tote bag comes in the same floral print as the jacket at Egonlab, while at Wooyoungmi the black and white crocheted stripes of the grab bag match the lapels of the polo shirt.
MSGM Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Massimo Giorgetti; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Wooyoungmi Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Madame Woo and Katie Chung; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
17. Colour
GCDS Fall 2024 [Milan] Creative Direction: Giuliano Calza; Photo: GCDS
Ami Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Alexandre Mattiussi; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
Handbags in trending colours come in various styles. Key colours include oxblood (GCDS), khaki (Ami), and shades of blue (Homme Plissé Issey Miyake and Fendi).
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake Fall 2024 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Design Team; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Fendi Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Silvia Venturini Fendi; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
18. Texture
Moschino Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Adrian Appiolaza; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Emporio Armani Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Giorgio Armani, Leo Dell’Orco and Silvana Armani; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Texture is achived through the use of basket weaving, leather stitching fur, or roughly-finished crochet.
Egonlab Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Florentin Glémarec and Kevin Nompeix; Photo: Egonlab
Martine Rose Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Martine Rose; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
19. Brand Classics
Luar Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Raul López; Photo: Daniele Oberrauch for Gorunway.com
Fendi Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Silvia Venturini Fendi; Photo: Alessandro Viero for Gorunway.com
Brands’ staple styles are carried by male models, including the Ana Bag by Luar and Stella McCartney’s Falabella. Classic brand fabrics are used on men’s handbags, including the double F design at Fendi and a dark green variant of the Burberry check.
Burberry Fall 2024 [London] Creative Direction: Daniel Lee; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com
Stella McCartney Fall 2024 [Paris] Creative Direction: Stella McCartney; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
20. Shapes
Maison Mihara Yasuhiro Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Mihara Yasuhiro; Photo: Provided by Brand
Natasha Zinko Fall 2024 [London] Creative Direction: Natasha Zinko; Photo: Umberto Fratini for Gorunway.com
Brands experiment with shapes including the teddy bear at Maison Mihara Yasuhiro, underpants at Natasha Zinko, and a pig-shaped clutch at Ashley Williams.
Acne Studios Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Jonny Johansson; Photo: Acne Studios
Ashley Williams Fall 2024 [London} Creative Direction: Ashley Williams; Photo: Ashley Williams
[Bonus] Bag Charms
Acne Studios Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Jonny Johansson; Photo: Acne Studios
Coach Spring 2025 [New York] Creative Direction: Stuart Vevers; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Not a handbag but definitely related to the handbags trend: bag charms. I saw so many amongst attendees at Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring 2025 and they became a definite street style trend of the season. Also being seen on the runways, bag charms are an opportunity for handbag customization and personalization, and also an opportunity for small leather goods at an entry-level price point.
Doublet Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Masayuki Ino; Photo: Isidore Montag for Gorunway.com
Plan C Spring 2025 [Florence] Creative Direction: Carolina Castiglioni; Photo: Plan C
The handbags shown in this trend forecast are all options to consider for inclusion within a men’s or unisex range, with the styles chosen dependent on the target customer: How daring are they? How open to new trends are they? Which styles have sold well before? Should you need assistance determining these factors, reach out for a consultation: I have helped brands grow their sales significantly through the application of data analysis and trend forecasting, and would love to help you too.
The cover image shows (left to right): CPlus Series Fall 2024 [Shanghai] Creative Direction: CT Liu; Photo: CPlus Series, Zegna Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Alessandro Sartori; Photo: Filippo Fior for Gorunway.com, Ernest W. Baker Spring 2025 Menswear [Paris] Creative Direction: Reid Baker and Inês Amorim; Photo: Ernest W. Baker, Tod’s Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Matteo Tamburini; Photo: Tod’s, and Woolrich Black Label Spring 2025 Menswear [Milan] Creative Direction: Todd Snyder; Photo: Woolrich.
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London College of Fashion alumna (PGCert Fashion Buying & Merchandising). 15 years in fashion across styling, buying & merchandising, trend forecasting, e-commerce, and marketing. Includes roles at Vivienne Westwood and multi-brand retail stocking 50+ brands including Adidas, Nike, and Puma.
