What Makes a Bag Iconic? Spoiler: There’s a Formula to It

In 2025, it’s hard for an accessory to stand out.

Blame it on the internet, social media or fashion week fatigue, but the onslaught of new styles can be overwhelming—dare I say, exhausting. So when something does cut through the noise, it’s rare. Like spotting Bill Murray in the wild: improbable, exhilarating and slightly absurd.

That moment came for me this past September at the Coach Spring 2025 runway show.

Debuting in Look 9, the Coach Large Frame Kisslock bag caught me off guard in the best way. Swaddled in rich brown leather and smattered with stickers that looked stolen from a grade school pencil case, it was absurdly oversized, with a clasp so dainty it bordered on satire. Inspired by a 1960s archival design, the bag was a paradox in motion: vintage yet current, childish yet self-aware, completely impractical yet somehow indispensable.

Like me, social media and Sex and the City became instantly obsessed. Once it hit stores, it sold out almost immediately. Surely that makes it a modern-day “it” bag? Well—maybe not so fast.

To put on a philosophical hat for a second, what even is an “it” bag? Some are just undeniably popular (see FASHION’s unofficial glossary of the 2025 bags du jour). Others are cultural icons with first-name status—Birkin, Baguette, Saddle, Classic Flap. But how does a handbag ascend to that level?

There seems to be a formula.

Exclusivity

We always want what we can’t have. That’s why you can’t quit the guy on Hinge who keeps leaving you on read, why being left off a party guest list feels like a personal attack and why the minute a bag sells out, you need it. Scarcity breeds desire. Rarity creates status. Would Birkins be so coveted without a waitlist? What about Coach’s Brooklyn bag, which can’t seem to stay in stock? Bags like these offer distinctions between the haves and have-nots. In other words, they’re the ultimate status symbol.

A Singular Silhouette

To be iconic, a bag needs a shape so distinct it’s recognizable without a logo. Think: the trapezoidal structure of the Hermès Birkin, the asymmetry of the Dior Saddle, the bowling-bag frame of The Row’s Margaux. All three of these examples offer very little branding, the names either hidden inside or on the back, but you’d never confuse a Fendi Baguette with a Chanel Classic Flap. The shape is so distinct, so unmistakable, that it’s almost become a logo in its own right.

Craftsmanship

There’s a reason that people hang onto their vintage Chanel 2.55s, their 30-year-old Louis Vuitton Speedys and their Grandmother’s Gucci Jackie: they last. The credit goes to luxury craftsmanship. It’s rumoured to take Chanel ateliers multiple months to create a single 2.55. Similarly, it’s been reported that the Hermès Kelly is hand-made by a single artisan. Your mum’s ’80s blouse might be disintegrating, but her purse? Practically immortal and in constant rotation, all these years later.

Cultural Cachet

Who among us hasn’t wanted to look like Princess Diana? What about Jane Birkin or Jackie O? Therein lies a key to creating an iconic bag: star power. One “it” girl can immortalize a bag forever. The Lady Dior became a legend thanks to Princess Di. The Hermès Kelly? Renamed for Grace Kelly. Even fictional Carrie Bradshaw made the Fendi Baguette pop culture canon. In our attempts to emulate our muses, borrowing their bags is the fastest way to get there. Consider it a starter pack.

Real World Application

At the end of the day, all of the above means nothing if real people don’t believe a bag is worthy of icon status. Think of it like a trend: designers can put as many skinny jeans on the runways as they want, but if the average person doesn’t actually want to wear them, the style is dead before it was even born. Icon status comes down to timing and desire. Just look at recent hits: the Balenciaga City rode the Y2K wave; the Alaïa Teckel was a sleek antidote to the “ludicrously capacious” tote; the Bottega Veneta Andiamo leaned into craftsmanship amid fast fashion fatigue. The list goes on.

So will the Coach Large Frame Kisslock join the “it” bag echelon? Only time will tell. But consider this my unofficial bid to add it to the ranks.