The messenger bag is staging a return

For men, for a long time, there wasn’t much choice in the way of luggage. It was just suitcases and trunks for travel; wallets for cash; and a briefcase for your papers. But in the 1990s there was a cultural shift and the idea of a ‘man bag’ emerged. It was, of course, no different to the kind of roomy shoulder bag women had been shrewdly using for decades, but somehow... manlier.

Today, the briefcase is long dead, and though the backpack sustains, you’re just as likely to see a guy on the street hauling his laptop in an identity-signifying fabric tote bag, or stuffing his gym kit into a slick, boardroom-friendly duffel bag. Perhaps more so.

Statement-making bags have become commonplace on the catwalks of London, Paris and Milan, and, in January, a report by Global Market Insights projected that the men’s luxury bag market would grow from $12.2 billion in 2026 to $18.4 billion in 2035.

‘I think a big part of that is the continued blurring of traditional gender lines in fashion,’ says Benedict Browne, style director at menswear retailer Mr Porter. ‘While that shift has been happening for years, we’re now seeing it fully reflected in everyday accessories. The average man is much less hesitant about carrying a day bag as a statement piece, rather than relying solely on pockets or more traditionally “masculine” options.’

In turn, there are trends in the men’s bag scene, and the latest vogue is for the messenger bag, the original ‘man bag’. The parameters are quite vague, but a messenger bag tends to be defined by a simple rectangular body with a single strap that runs over the shoulder from one top edge to the other. The name is said to stem from the American West and the Pony Express, the horse-powered messenger service of the 1860s.

But in 2026, the gamut of men’s messenger bags is broad. At Lemaire, the achingly cool Parisian brand, new-season messengers are made in partnership with Filt, France’s oldest manufacturer of string bags, and shaped like upturned croissants. If your freight level is low, the fishnet outer can be removed, leaving a soft, simple clutch.

The same elongated shapes are on show at The Row, Gucci and Rick Owens, but more classic, cuboid shapes can be found at Loewe, Dior and Louis Vuitton. At the latter, the mega-brand’s famous monogram pervades, while at Dior, messenger bags double as dust jackets for literary classics such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘book bag’.

Browne describes the Lemaire and Loewe bags as ‘high status’, but also commute-friendly. However, if it’s low-key reliability you need, head to Japanese maker Porter-Yoshida, where, Browne says, bags are ‘consistently discreet, durable and extremely functional’. And sometimes that’s all you need from luggage, be it manly or not.