What Drives The Accessories Industry?
Let’s take a look at the past, today and tomorrow.

At some point in our daily routines, most people interact with an accessory. They help us achieve a purpose whether it is a bag that carries our belongings, a pair of shoes that makes us run faster or a pair of sunglasses that make a stylistic statement. In the past century the synergy between accessories and fashion has become so strong that accessories aren’t considered a secondary item, but a standard in today’s fashion. In fact, every American, including every man, woman, and child owns on average seven pairs of shoes. Additionally, most people have accessories for different occasions like a tote bag for the beach, a suitcase for work or a backpack for school. The market today is based on an experience economy, where brands provide the customer not with a product, but also a journey, a service, a way of feeling. So, fashion brands have shifted the way of marketing their products in order to stay relevant to the modern consumer where they have brought artists to create unique collections. One of the best examples that depicts this statement is the collaboration that the fashion brand Louis Vuitton and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami started back in 2002. In order to attract and engage customers into the Louis Vuitton brand, the revolutionary partnership with Murakami brought new marketing opportunities and a refreshing image to the company. The reason why this collaboration has been successful is because the appeal of “art couture” makes consumers not just look like shoppers, but as trendy shoppers. This past decade, the collaboration between art and fashion has become more popular across almost every collection that fashion brands launch each year in order to stay unique for their customers.
Fashion and accessories have become a reflection of the person wearing them and it would be relevant for us to understand how the role, style and development of accessories has changed in history to today and explore what the future holds.
By analyzing certain events throughout fashion history, the design and status of accessories have had a transition in the western culture for men and women. Bags and footwear used to be considered “additional” or exclusive to a certain group of people to being “essential” items in today’s world of fashion. The goal of this paper is to explore how accessories have achieved independence from fashion by looking at how accessories represented symbolic status, when accessories shifted towards an essential and independent part of fashion and where accessories stand today in the world of contemporary fashion.
Back in ancient civilizations, accessories were not considered a matter of fashion, but a matter of necessity in order to survive. Footwear’s main purpose was to protect the feet from the wet and cold environments, which helped tribes travel long distances to look for food and supplies. For example: one of the earliest civilizations that can provide the best evidence of what kind of footwear was worn is the Celts. According to Roman records, the shoe known as leg-covering, was part of clothing which consisted of linen overlappings and leather strips attaching the linen to the legs known as Brigis in Ireland. Developed techniques that women were creating such as weaving and dyeing was clear proof that the craft was gaining importance; however, footwear was still an extension of the outfit being worn because it utilized the same materials and techniques as garment making. Therefore, this example clearly shows that people approached footwear as utilitarian not as a fashion statement.
Moving on to the Roman and Greek civilization, footwear was not only dictated by its purpose, but also by social standing. Based on the examples found in museums, Roman officers in the army were the ones who set fashion standards. There were laws that told what type of footwear and color people could have worn depending on their rank, and these laws also applied to civilians. For example: purple and reds were exclusive for emperors and the band around a man’s garment would define their position in life. Moreover, the color of the garment would dictate the color of the shoes. Women had more freedom in terms of material and color choices for their footwear, but their jeweled fibulas closures on their shoes were also used in their clothes. Then, there were slaves who wore no shoes to make it harder to escape through the rough country. Even though, there were technical advances in the way footwear was made and the materials utilized, shoes were still governed by the clothes the people wore and the social status they held.
Just as shoes have a long history of being mainly attached to utility, and so do bags. For as long as people have had money or precious objects to be carried or stored, bags have been a necessity in their daily lives. The earliest precedents of bags date back to basket weaving seen in the Egyptian civilization made from grass and doum palms which were sources widely available in the African region. Techniques developed by the Egyptians for weaving baskets such as check, twilled, and twined patterns influenced other crafts such as cloth weaving, pottery and carpentry. Baskets were common among Egyptians mainly used for storage since wood was scarce and expensive. In Roman civilization there was a type of satchel called loculus. This type of bag was given to soldiers to carry small tools and coins which clearly shows how an accessory like a bag was attached to a person’s role in Roman society. The loculus is depicted in The Column of Trajan where soldiers carry this type of bag. Additionally, bags like purses were also attached to people’s relationship status in Europe. In The Musée de Cluny in Paris, there were a group of French purses, known as bethrothal bags that depict couples in a courtly romance. This type of bag used to be gifted by the groom to the bride which represented the groom’s wealth. As fashion and clothing evolved over the centuries, men’s outfits started being made with pockets which made carrying bags and pouches not a priority. Women’s pockets were also incorporated within the garments, so bags were somewhat disregarded. Shoes and bags until the early nineteenth century were still attached and dictated by social, economical and cultural circumstances.
The development of new manufacturing techniques, the availability of new materials through trade, and the emergence of new markets in the late nineteenth century played a significant role in the accessibility of accessories to the masses. Some of the most significant changes were the invention of the sewing machine, aniline dyes, faster transportation and photography to capture people’s lives. These changes profoundly transformed people’s attitude about their appearance outside the home, and thus the fashion.
The sewing machine for leather started being used for sewing soles, riveting, turn shoes and welt sewing, this brought shoe making to large factories and made shoes widely available to the public. Therefore, most of the people were able to purchase a pair of shoes at an affordable price. The rise of leisure activities like tennis in the late 1800s resulted in a change in lifestyle for men and women. Also, advances in technology and manufacturing made possible a more diverse range of shoes and boots for different types of occasions which reflected the increasing activities in men and women. From this point on, footwear was related not to a person’s social status, but to the lifestyle they have or the activities they did.
Handbags changed as the result of simplification in garment design, the lack of the use of pockets and a more active lifestyle opened the way for bags to start making a come back. The most significant shifts in bags to a more separate category started when women’s fashion magazines published patterns and do it yourself bag tutorials. Also carpet bags gained popularity for being affordable, durable and more practical than bulky trunks. These type of bags were popular among men and women travelers. The fact that male and females were using similar styles of bags was a sign that genre was not a deciding factor regarding what type of bags they were allowed to use. In general, shoes being catered to different lifestyles and activities as well as bags and accessories in general start going in the same direction where people buy whatever fits their daily lives better.
In the 1900’s, the role of accessories for the first time brought more changes in fashion and society than the Western culture had ever experienced. The fast paced life that began taking force in the late 1800's just got much faster. There were shoes within the reach of everyone because new methods were developed, lower prices, the increase in quality and production volume of shoes. The new and diverse employment opportunities for men and women indicated that there was a demand for diversified footwear in terms of material and design. There were have rubber soles being used in sports shoes and ready to wear boots attained popularity because they were cheap to make. Since women had turned into being more independent, so did her accessories, Women’s footwear was offered in a wide range of materials and colors which gave them flexibility to choose at their taste without any compromises. With the rise of global trades, high demand for accessories and the domination of the ready-to-wear shoes by US companies, made fashion brands and specialty shops in countries like France, Italy and England step up and revamp all their operations in order to compete and be perceived as the trend setters in the industry. With the rise of Hollywood, people wanted to emulate the style of the actors presented and fashion houses saw this as a stage to showcase their goods. Not only was fashion affected by the change in people’s lifestyles and how they approached it, but also accessories gained independence because people had many styles to pick from to meet their personal preferences rather than a utilitarian purpose.
In the first half of the twenty century bags went through a series of changes that would eventually transform into an independent entity within fashion. In 1936, there was the experimentation of other materials including the development of plastics like acrylic due to the restrictions materials companies had during World War I and II. This new range of materials would give a new look to the upcoming wave of bags. Additionally, we have a shift in transportation: Flying. This became a common means of traveling among the population; therefore, a sleeker range of bags was needed due to the limited space. This is where different handbag designs steps into the world of accessories. Moreover, the socio-economic landscape after World War II brought a change to the economy which was to meet the needs of newlyweds and new parents. Fashion labels and designers were relentlessly seeking for ways to capture people’s style through new accessories and the bag was one of the items soon turned into a huge marketing opportunity. Innovation was not only limited to making better products, but knowing how to sell them in an engaging manner to the masses. This is where celebrities become fashion icons who attracted much attention. One of the examples is The First Lady of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy launched a series of simple yet elegant looks that were translated into styles in fashion. The demand for designer handbags can also be followed back to Hollywood and TV where the film star and Princess Grace Kelly was associated with the Hermes bag she carried.

On the other hand, we have sports bags which were more appealing within the men customers because they wanted to convey the idea that they were active and healthy. Once there was a high demand for accessories like shoes and bags, the path of accessories turned away from being a craft to being a gold mine for individual designers and fashion houses. As a result, for the past 30 years, designers have worked on their own themes, philosophies and design signatures which brought the touch of exclusivity to their creations in the competitive market. Due to the advanced manufacturing conditions, a new wave of informal youth consumers, and the popularity of retail stores, these factors developed new looks that were more individualistic and expressive. This was a great white canvas for designer’s creative expressionism because they had the freedom to explore aesthetic boundaries and appeal to the new wave of fashion consumers.
In conclusion, what once was considered a necessity like protecting feet or carrying crops in a basket, now has become the premium fuel of the fashion industry. Ancient civilizations relied on leg-covering to preserve their feet and be able to mobilize. Roman and Greek authorities dictated what people was allowed to wear according to their social status. Carrying a certain type of bag determined your relationship status in the 1600's in France. Then, the sewing machine in the industrial revolution improved significantly the craft of accessories and the availability of these products to the masses. More active lifestyles, leisure time and new means of transportation demanded a diversity of accessory designs and materials in order to adapt to the people’s new way of living. The arrival of TV at homes, celebrities being followed as fashion icons and the informality of youth fashion enlarge the audience that designers and fashion brands could reach with accessories and discover new ways of growing. From using clothing as footwear or being assigned what type of shoes people were allowed to use by authorities are traditions are part of history. The abundance of accessory designs, styles, and brands today are a proof that people have to power to choose who they want to be perceived as through these objects. The question is if the consumer really have a choice to portray who he is by carrying an accessory? Or is the consumer still attached to the symbols, consumerism and brands can offer? This is where the rise of small studios and independent designers have started coming into play. The designer is the new CEO of today’s business because they can control, connect and provide a level of quality and personalization to consumers that no big fashion brand can. Despite of the shifts in the contemporary fashion industry, accessories will always be essential items in people’s daily routines and a revelation of who you are.
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