The global leather bag market was valued at just slightly more than 63 billion US Dollars by 2021. Sales of leather bags are expected to reach upwards of eighty billion dollars by 2027. In 2018 (using the year 2018 as guide solely because it was the last full year that did not involve any threat or discussion of the forthcoming Covid-19 pandemic) leather bags, in general, accounted for almost 50% of the total amount of bags sold. There is no sign yet to indicate any change in fortunes for the leather bag industry any time soon.
It is fair to not only assume but to clarify that leather briefcases make up a sizeable number in those figures. Saying what exactly that number might be is difficult to say, mainly because the image or idea of what a leather briefcase was, or is, has changed dramatically over the years. This evolution has affected men particularly. The pejorative term, “Man Bag,” has thankfully lost all its negative connotations by now, and so no longer holds back the purchase of such things as a men’s designer holdall, a leather overnight bag, or the subject matter we are debating, a leather briefcase used by a professional. The man bag itself, as a concept, dates to medieval times, when men carried such things to hold all personal belongings. This was a time when pockets were a yet to be imagined convenience.
The male of the species is usually foremost in the mind when we think of a briefcase, but such is the change in focus to the designs, shapes and styles, and the types of leather used in creation of such, that it is no longer necessarily men that use them. In fact, the question of whether professional people still use a leather briefcase should be reframed, why shouldn’t they use a leather briefcase?
Do professionals still use briefcases?
They should, and they clearly still do. It is fairer to describe one as a briefcase bag, with elegant and modern designs allied with the very latest in leather technology, the leather briefcase is still at its best when styled and manufactured in one of the numerous and varied types of leather. It has better durability, better dustproofing (a wipe of a cloth sufficient) and it makes an instant statement. Its kudos as a luxury item remains, as does about anything made from leather. It comes disguised as a stylish accessory that would not look out of place in the finest establishments around the world, while simultaneously holding its own in the practicality stakes. And that is the real rub of the green, here. Any professional person holds practical application near, or at, the apex of his/her expectations. It needs to totally fulfil the needs of such a person who expects only the best from life and those around them. To enter any working environment carrying anything that did not show them in best light, or demonstrate good taste, would be unthinkable.
Leather still sits at the head of the hierarchical table of fashion. Fashion does not just extend to the clothes we wear, or the name of the designer that made them. What accessorises that which we wear is equally important and makes us feel equally good about ourselves. A briefcase/briefcase bag shows we are prepared and ready, that we have at hand everything we are going to need to function for the day ahead. A leather briefcase/leather briefcase bag says all that and more. It is symbolic of nature, a sign that we choose well, and we think through the vital and ignore the rest.
Professional people do still use leather briefcases. The item speaks volumes for and about them. They can be stylish, elegant, well made and long lasting. All the attributes any professional person would want associated about themselves. A leather suitcase? A leather toiletry bag, or a lady’s weekend holdall, too? That is a conversation for another time. Talking of time, do not be late for that meeting!