What they are saying about men's bags

Bags are carried by men across Europe and Asia, but other than for holidays they have been a long time coming to the UK.

But times they are a changin and unless you want to look like Michelin Man on a bad day you need somewhere to put your mobile phone, wallet, ipod, glasses, sunglasses, passport, pens et al.

Not everyone agrees and whilst many men carry laptop bags, briefcases and holdalls as a matter of course, few actually realise or acknowledge they are carrying a bag.

We will keep the debate going here with snippets from the world's media and the occasional blog - bookmark this page and keep coming back!

If you want to have your say then drop us an email but please keep it clean!

Joke of the day

A young man, hired by a supermarket, reported for his first day of work. The manager greeted him with a warm handshake and a smile, gave him a brush and said, "Your first job will be to sweep out the store. "

"But I 'm a university graduate. " the young man replied indignantly. "Oh, I 'm sorry. I didn 't know that, " said the manager. "Here, give me the brush, I 'll show you how. "

83% of Aussie men carry a man bag

Man bags are gaining popularity, with around 83% of Aussie blokes regularly carrying one.
"We don't just need the bottle of water, we need the iPod, the mobile, the toiletries, everything," social analyst David Chalke explained, adding that Aussies are becoming "urban nomads."
Source - The Advertiser, July 2009

8 out of 10 men now carry bags

According to a survey conducted by More Th>n, men are carrying bags more than ever before and the average value of their man bags and contents is a whopping £652.43

Louis Delmas article

Men's handbags - will they ever catch on?

Mario the Great's advice

From his blogspot:
"Any man of fashion knows that bags have become a necessary tool and style accessory. No longer seen as solely a woman’s item, men’s bags are masculine, attractive and ideal additions to any contemporary wardrobe. If you would like to dabble in the wide world of men’s bags, but don’t quite know which one would suit your needs best, heed this advice: Stick with a classic type of men's bag, and you can’t go wrong."

Fashion designer Liam Bowden

Musing on the iconic 'man bag: "Personally I don't have enough stuff to carry for a man-bag. However, there is always an appropriate bag for men. Guys need something that will wear nicely. Something simple but functional."

FT columnist Tyler Brûlé

From his column in the Monocle magazine in the Financial Times on Saturday, November 15: "this column's inbox suggests that there's an enormous, untapped market to create bags for men who need everything from a duffel for trips to the country to something to hold their mobile, BlackBerry, house-keys, notebook, chewing gum and business cards".

The Guardian

Simon Chilvers wrote a piece back in March about what five men carry in their bags because as they phrased it: 'sales of manbags are gathering pace' because 'they are gaining street cred.'

Inside a skinny mind

From his blog It was a strange scene to be seen on considering that Brighton usually prides itself for its unpretentiousness. I just went out for a drink with an old friend, and suddenly I found myself surrounded by designer man-bags and shiny Blackberries....