10 most iconic designer bags of all time, from Hermes, Gucci, Chanel and more

If past trends are anything to go by, classic bags or iconic bags as some would call them hold their value best. Like wine and watches, some even appreciate over time.

Whether you’re considering making your first serious bag purchase or looking to make a profit for when you eventually put your chosen carrier up for resale, the best bets are on classics that rise above trends and continue to be coveted.

Introducing the top 10 most iconic bag styles to get behind.

1. HERMES BIRKIN

The Hermes Birkin is believed to be one of the hardest bags to procure. Yet that hasn’t stopped celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and even Drake from hoarding giant collections of the supposedly elusive bag.

So valuable are Birkins that Singaporean socialite Jamie Chua, who is rumoured to own the world’s biggest and most expensive private collection of Hermes bags, famously confessed in a podcast, “during my divorce, I did sell many Birkin bags to feed my children. They keep their value very well and could be one of the best investments that I’ve made.”

Just how did the bag become such a phenomenon?

As the story goes, British-French actress Jane Birkin met former Hermes chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight from Paris to London in the early 80s.

While on the plane, the contents of the actress' bag accidentally spilled out, and so she turned to Dumas and asked if he would design a bag for her. Birkin sketched her dream bag on the back of an airplane sick bag and the rest is history.

Fortune reported that only customers with an extensive purchase history at Hermes are offered the opportunity to buy a Birkin. The bag’s exclusivity quickly turned it into the chic, must-have accessory.

Another reason for its exclusivity has to do with how the bag is made. A Birkin takes up to 40 hours to produce. Each bag is handmade from start to finish by a single expert craftsman whose signature can be found on the bag.  

The bag comes in four standard sizes: The Birkin 25 (the most sought-after), Birkin 30, Birkin 35 and Birkin 40.

The grail Birkin – the Himalayan Birkin crafted from custom-coloured Nile crocodile hide – counts Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Hong Kong actress Anita Yuen among its collectors. In 2022, Sotheby's sold a Diamond Himalaya Birkin 30 for over US$450,000 (S$595,540).

An Hermes expert once said that a Birkin bag is a better investment than gold. The value of a Birkin skyrockets from the moment it leaves the Hermes store. The rarity – dependent on the colour, material and hardware – of the bag is paramount in its appreciation in value.

Enquire at Hermes boutiques.

2. CHANEL FLAP BAG

A history lesson on Chanel bags would not be complete without the mention of the iconic 2.55 designed by Gabrielle Chanel in February of 1955. Hence, the name.

She rewrote fashion history when she debuted an over-the-shoulder purse at an haute couture show. The addition of the chain freed women from the constraints of the cumbersome clutch.

Fans of the purse are quickly able to identify the 2.55 bag by the famed Mademoiselle turn-lock on it – the lock is believed to honour Chanel’s unmarried status.

As a tribute to the 2.55 bag, Karl Lagerfeld introduced the Classic Flap when he joined the house in 1983. Different from the discreet 2.55, Lagerfeld introduced a few tweaks: The Classic Flap bore a logomania CC closure and is identified by a chain strap interlaced with leather. Tougher in appeal and undeniably on brand, the bag was an instant success.

Besides the classic quilted leather version, the Classic Flap also comes in chevron quilt, as well as tweed and other seasonal offerings.

Every year, as part of the Metiers D’art collection, Chanel releases special editions of the bag interpreted by artisans.

This year’s Metiers D’art collection featured a lavishly checkered tweed version in pink by Maison Lesage – a traditional French atelier that specialises in crafting exquisite and jewel-like embroideries – and an exquisite teatime inspired one by Atelier Montex – a studio that specialises in making embroidered fabrics.

The Classic Flap was renamed the 11.12 after the bag’s style code A01112 in 2021.

Resale prices for Chanel bags have hit record levels. A vintage medium-sized Classic Flap that retailed for about US$1,200 (S$1,568) from the 1990s sells for over US$6,000 at Sotheby’s now. 

Available at Chanel. 

3. GUCCI JACKIE

A bona fide house icon, the Jackie bag wasn’t always known as that. Released in 1961, the hobo bag was originally named the Constance.

Story has it that former American First Lady Jacqueline Lee “Jackie” Kennedy Onassis went shopping at Gucci and the modern appeal of its roomy silhouette and unusual piston-shaped closure caught her attention. She left the store that day with six of these crescent-shaped bags.

She soon made the bag a part of her fashion uniform. The stylish First Lady famously used it to shield herself from paparazzi. With the bag front and center of tabloids, it became as famous as her wearer and it got promptly renamed “the Jackie”.

In the bag’s 63-year history, it has seen innumerable iterations by Gucci’s rolodex of creative directors. Tom Ford, for instance, replaced its original piston closure with a geometric push lock.

Jackie Soft, an unstructured version was introduced in 2009 by Frida Giannini. Supermodel Kate Moss starred in its ad campaign that riffed on Jackie’s brush with the paparazzi.

A unisex version introduced by Alessandro Michele debuted in 2020 and was seen on the likes of Dakota Johnson and Harry Styles.

Sabato De Sarno, who now helms the brand, launched the Jackie Notte which features a new mini silhouette and a new snap hook. The mini bag found its way into the arms of Korean singer-actress IU, British actress Daisy Edgar Jones and Filipino actress Heart Evangelista.

Available at Gucci. 

4. FENDI BAGUETTE

The year was 1997 when Fendi's head of accessories, Silvia Venturini Fendi (who also happens to be the fashion empire's heiress), came up with a shoulder bag that nestled under the arm like one would a French bread loaf. That was how the moniker Fendi Baguette came to be.

But it was Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist of the TV series Sex And The City, who is credited for the bag’s meteoric success. In a scene where Bradshaw gets mugged, the thug demanded that she give him her bag. To which she replied with utter disdain: “it’s not a bag. It’s a Baguette.”

After that episode aired in 2000, sales of the Baguette went through the roof. The interlocking FF “Zucca” insignia on the bag rode high on the logomania trend of the Noughties.

In 2023, Fendi celebrated the bag's 25th anniversary with a launch of 25 re-editioned Baguettes designed by Fendi’s then-artistic director of womenswear Kim Jones and his fashion hero Marc Jacobs. The year-long celebration also included collaborations with Sarah Jessica Parker, Porter, Tiffany & Co and Marc Jacobs.

Twenty-six years on, the Baguette remains one of the most significant milestones for Fendi.

Available at Fendi. 

5. LOUIS VUITTON SPEEDY

Did you know that the Speedy was launched in 1930 as the Express? A streamlined version of Louis Vuitton’s insanely popular Keepall that’s 55cm in length, the Speedy 30 was designed for everyday use.

The first Speedy was made from logo-less cowhide but it didn’t take long for it to be reimagined in the house’s covetable monogram.

The bag was catapulted to superstar status after attracting the attention of Audrey Hepburn. In 1965, the actress requested for Louis Vuitton to make a smaller version of the bag and the Speedy 25 was born.

Hepburn took her customised purse everywhere, while wearing a suede headscarf and matching gloves. Very soon, her elegant style caught on with the style set, including Jackie Kennedy and Lauren Bacall, and the bag went on to become an icon in its own right.

In the early 2000s, the inimitable Speedy was given a cool makeover by celebrated Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who painted the brown-based Monogram with bright red cherries and blush pink cherry blossoms. The bags were an instant hit with then-It girls Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.

Other artists like Yayoi Kusama, Stephen Sprouse and Richard Prince also had a go at reimagining the legendary bag to plenty of success.

The latest rendition came courtesy of Pharrell Williams, who replaced Virgil Abloh as Louis Vuitton’s creative director for menswear. Williams kicked off his debut collection in 2023 by reinventing the Speedy P9 in bright gemstone hues and in new sizes.

Available at Louis Vuitton. 

6. DIOR LADY DIOR

Designed in 1995 by then-creative director Gianfranco Ferre, the box-shaped purse was initially named Chouchou (which translates to “favourite”).

The bag featured charms as a nod to founder Christian Dior who famously carried lucky charms wherever he went.

When Diana, Princess of Wales visited Paris, France’s then-first lady Bernadette Chirac gifted her the yet-to-be-released bag. Pictured clutching the bag so often, the royal soon became synonymous with it. Diana loved the bag so much that she requested Dior to make a navy version of the bag to match the colour of her eyes.

In 1996, Dior renamed the bag the Lady Dior, in her honour. That year, Diana attended the Met Gala wearing a mini Lady Dior, a smaller version of her favourite bag that had been specially create to match her blue satin dress.

Celebrities Rihanna, Bella Hadid, and even Queen Camellia have also been spotted with the celebrated bag.

Available at Dior. 

7. CELINE TRIOMPHE

There’s a distinctly Seventies flavour to the Celine Triomphe bag. Much to do with the house’s double C “Triomphe” motif that dates back to 1973.

Known as Blazon Chaine, the birth of the symbol was indirectly the result of founder Celine Vipiana being involved in a minor car accident near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. While standing there, Vipiana noticed the motif on the chain outside of the monument. Fascinated, she sought the help of the city of Paris to adapt the symbol as Celine’s house emblem.

Fast forward to 2019. Then-creative director Hedi Slimane discovered the symbol in the archives and adapted it for the Triomphe bag as part of his high-profile debut collection for Celine. The bag has since become a must-have satchel among the fashion set, including NewJeans' Danielle, Chinese actress Wu Jinyan and even Angelina Jolie who owns the bag in assorted colourways.

The Triomphe universe has grown significantly to include the Classique Triomphe, the Shoulder Triomphe, the Chain Shoulder Triomphe and the Teen Triomphe – being the most popular of them all.

Despite Slimane’s recent departure, the popularity of the bag is showing no signs of slowing down.

Available at Celine. 

8. LOEWE PUZZLE

How the bag got its name is not at all puzzling. The rectangular bag looks like a few interlocking triangular leather panels. Each Puzzle bag is made from 75 pieces of leather.

Fun fact: Handmade in Madrid, it takes a leather artisan nine hours to make one bag.

The Puzzle was the very first bag design conceived by creative director Jonathan Anderson after he arrived at Loewe in 2014. Instead of thinking in 3D, the Irish designer went the opposite way to create a flat, geometric object with a tri-dimensional function. Deceptively flat when packed, its origami-like structure boosts expansive volume.

Revealed at Loewe’s Men's Spring/Summer 2015 presentation, the bag has since taken an assortment of guises, from eye-catching colours and soothing neutrals, to special seasonal renditions, as well as, exciting capsule collaborations with Suna Fujita, a Kyoto-based ceramic studio, and Studio Ghibli, featuring its movies Spirted Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Big things are said to be in store for the Puzzle bag’s 10th anniversary celebrations in 2025..

Available at Loewe. 

9. THE ROW MARGAUX

Is the Margaux bag set to take over the Birkin? Fashion insiders have tipped it as the next Birkin.

A future heirloom in the making, the oversized bag has a tendency to sell out season after season since its introduction in 2018.

A relatively new contender in the luxury handbag realm, the understated sac is lauded for its quiet luxury aura. With no visible logo, the bag’s clean lines and impeccable workmanship speak for itself.

Dreamt up by the Olsen twins, this modern icon that comes in three sizes has earned its place in the fashion hall of fame without any fanfare.

Available at The Row. 

10. BALENCIAGA LE CITY

Former creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere is best remembered for launching the Motorcycle City bag when he helmed Balenciaga.

Released in 2001, this firm favourite among the fashion set – including the Olsen twins, Kate Moss, Nicole Richie – spawned copycats across high street and even fellow luxury compatriots.

The Motorcycle City bag was eventually retired but it was still highly covetable, with sales of the bag on second-hand websites such as Ebay and Vinted remaining brisk. So much so that this year, Balenciaga's creative director, Demna, decided to bring the bag back.

Known now as Le City, it still comes fitted with instantly recognisable touches such as metal buckles, thimble-like studs, leather lace-strung zipper pulls and braided handles. What’s new is that it is now dressed in Arena leather – the leather gains a unique patina over time – and palladium vibrato hardware is adopted.

Be it second-hand or refreshed, what’s not to love about a practical bag with tons of street cred?

Available at Balenciaga.