Photo: Courtesy of Coach.
Way back in the early 2000s, the metrosexual man was the new black. His well groomed scruff, tailored suits, and surefire sense of self kept the question, "Is he gay or European?" on the tip of our tongues every time a man of GQ status passed by. But now, as "metrosexuality" fades to our periphery, the standard fashion- and beauty-conscious male has taken his place.
Along with male cosmetics, the market for murses has increased. NPD Group, a market-research firm, reports that there's been a 3% increase in sales of male handbags in the last year. That might not seem like a lot, but we're talking about $957 million in sales since June 2012. "With more and more devices and tools to lug around in order to keep up their image, men are taking a page out of the women’s play book and gravitating to the bag,” NPD Group’s chief analyst Marshall Cohen explained.
Cohen has a point when he says men are carrying around more than keys, a phone, and wallet. Now, there are gadgets to worry about, as well as phone chargers, headphones, and fancy pens. Even if men only needed the original three essentials, today's fitted, skinny-tailored fashions wouldn't allow for it. So, it only seems natural that they tote a tote around, or throw on a backpack (sales for the latter rose 24% in the last year). According to BuzzFeed, Coach is set to increase its men's bag line by $600 million this year. After all, why not? There's no reason to put different accessories in a (gendered) box. A bag is a bag — although, we'd be a bit jealous if the men in our lives started rocking a PS1 before we did, but that's just envy talking. (Complex)