Everyone is Birkinfying their Balenciaga City Bags! That may just sound like I’m tossing word salad but you have to believe me when I say it is the future.
From X to TikTok, Instagram to Reddit, the fashion sectors of the internet have been overrun by two separate but equally strong sartorial forces: The Balenciaga City Bag and purposely excessive bag customization.
So, what happens when the two collide? Modish magic, of course!
See, it’s not really a secret that vintage is king right now. Especially among Gen Z, the resale market is booming, secondhand shopping is more wallet-conscious than retail, and, perhaps most pertinently, nostalgia has the fashion industry in a majorly inescapable chokehold.
These factors have all set the stage for the official and unofficial revivals of the Balenciaga City bag, an aughts-era gem of a purse that has gained sweeping relevance online in recent years.
Understandably so, of course, because much like its roomy interior, this bag’s lore runs deep.
First released in 2001, the bag gained popularity amongst A-listers and socialites throughout the mid-2010s.
From Kim Kardashian to Beyoncé, the Balenciaga City bag, then known as the Balenciaga “Motorcycle” bag, was the It Bag for the It Girl.
Like most trendy accessories, however, the City Bag fell into relative obscurity as more petite silhouettes took center stage.
Now, though, Balenciaga’s City bag is experiencing a comeback tour like no other. Its 2024 revival resembles that of the recent resurgence of Isabel Marant’s wedge sneaker. Like, seriously, who would have thought 2024 would see the return of heeled tennis shoes?
But this renaissance of formerly faux pas fashions is not just the result of a collective quest for fashion comfort food. A general shift in stylistic attitudes has also played a role.
In April 2024, Balenciaga reissued the City bag, this time with charm. Or charms, to be specific. Heavily charmified City bags were first presented at the Balenciaga Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024 runway show in late 2023 but didn’t really catch on until the broader reissue.
On social media, where a vested demonstration of personal style outranks limitless designer pieces and ultra-curated IG feeds, the process of bag charming has become especially popular in the following months, especially among self-described Balenciaga City Bag lovers.
On TikTok, there are thousands of videos under the #bagcharm and #decoratemybag hashtags, with users utilizing curated assortments of trinkets and charms to add some can’t-be-bought flare to their outfits.
These customizations look like anything from carefully wrapped scarves and gold trinkets to furry keyfobs and layered chains.
One user even used a fake (hopefully) passport to customize their bag, clearly inspired by Balenciaga itself. There really are no limits.
Because, though many bag holders directly borrow styling cues from Balenciaga, plenty of others are taking personalization matters into their own hands.
Because that’s the thing: It matters more that your bag is personalized than that your personalized bag is a Balenciaga City. But, still, thank the Olsen Twins, thank the TikTok customizers — either way, you still gotta thank the Balenciaga City bag.