It’s time to pack, because fashion’s latest obsession is all things trunks. From briefcases to luggage, if it looks like you’ve got some place to be, things to do, it’s in. We have the receipts too - Lyst indicates an uprise of 59% in online searches for luggage. The hardware accessory was once made for practicality - think of your caffeine-smelling business men before taking a Lime scooter to work was a thing - has seen a complete 180 in terms of function, shape, size and style.
Tyler, The Creator, or rather Tyler Baudelaire brought us luggage as if to rub it in our faces we’re all still under strict travel restrictions. With the release of his latest album Call Me If You Get Lost, the rapper has, yet again, totally reinvented himself, this time as an international jet setter straight out of a Wes Anderson film. Tyler was first seen carrying a trunk at the 2020 Grammy Ceremony, where he was seen wearing a pink bellhop suit with a custom pink Golf Le Fleur trunk, storing a spare change of clothes, of course. Now, luggage has become Tyler’s best friend, after several different trunks made their appearance in his latest music videos LEMONHEAD and WUSYANAME.
Not only did the hardware accessories take over Baudelaire’s creative direction, they’ve also dominated the runway this year. Louis Vuitton Men’s FW21 saw some of Virgil’s best work, which also happened to be trunk-infused. And while trunks and briefcases have always been emblematic of the French heritage house, this year has seen a sharp focus on them, continuing in the SS22 collection. And while briefcases tend to be small and narrow, Kim Jones thought of the perfect solution for SS22, creating Dior x CactusJack snakeskin briefcases paired with smaller briefcases. The more truly is the merrier.
Bella Hadid, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, and even Saweetie in collaboration with McDonald’s have all turned to the accessory this season, proving to us that the context really doesn’t matter, the briefcase stays. The young singer paired her micro-briefcase with a pink tweed Chanel matching skirt and blazer as she walked into the White House to meet with President Joe Biden while Bella paired hers with a sheer black top and some green snake-print trousers. A means of stating “business means business”, the briefcases’s utility is still somewhat questionable considering the fact that Olivia’s was just about big enough to carry her drivers license and Bella’s was later used as place mat.
But we can’t talk about celebrities rocking the trunk without talking about the OG. Of course, looking back where most trends start, Kanye West was first seen in 2009 and again in 2017 roaming the French streets during Paris Fashion Week with a Goyard trunk. He’s been saying it for years, but people really should start paying more attention to Ye.
Whether it’s for your next trip to Ibiza or to pack your late-evening fit, we’ve compiled a list of hardware bags, briefcases, trunks and luggage. And while the celebrities’ trunks may be slightly impractical, we’ve also thrown in some more practical options for you. Because at the end of the day, no one wants to travel without a 4-wheeler.
RIMOWA CLASSIC CABIN, US$1,110 / £840
LOUIS VUITTON TRUNK WALLET, US$2,150 (APPROX.) / £1,550
GLOBE-TROTTER LEATHER-TRIMMED CARRY-ON SUITCASE, US$1,590 / £1,320
RIMOWA ESSENTIAL CABIN CARRY-ON NEON, US$820 / £640
MCM BERLIN TRUNK CROSSBODY BAG, US$722 / £725
BRIGGS & RILEY TORQ INTERNATIONAL CARRY ON SPINNER, US$398 (APPROX.) / £287.31
AMI PARIS SMALL AMI DE COEUR BOX BAG, US$705 / £435
RIMOWA POLYCARBONATE CROSS-BODY CLUTCH BAG, US$1,260 / £910
COMME DES GARÇONS MINI ALUMINIUM BRIEFCASE, US$380 / £266
CARL FRIEDRICK THE CHECK-IN SUITCASE, US$590 / £395
10 CORSO COMO LEATHER TRUNK SUITCASE, US$1,586 / £1,171
SAMSONITE STACKD SPINNER RECYCLED PLASTIC SUITCASE, US$215 / £179
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