How the micro-bag trend reflects our craving for minimalism

When micro-bags started appearing in the hands of celebrities, the trend seemed fit for that specific demographic, those with extra help behind the scenes to carry anything too large to fit inside their miniature accessory, a reserved luxury. Over multiple fashion seasons, the bags have increased in popularity beyond exclusivity – highlighting a desire for minimalistic efficiency in our lives. 

French label, Jacquemus, introduced their Le Chiquito bag on the Spring 2018 runway, and despite measuring just 4.75 inches by 3.5 inches, it was a hit among style trailblazers. Rihanna was seen toting a mustard colored version in Barbados in 2017, months before the item was released for sale, and it subsequently gained a cult following.

At Jacquemus’ Fall 2019 show, the bag had shrunk to humorous proportions that amused both audience members who received the doll-sized purse with their invitation to the show, and social media users who brainstormed what would fit inside of the approximate one inch by one inch “bag” – loose breath mints, a few coins, one Juul pod. Jacquemus isn’t the first to design tiny bags – Chanel’s smallest bag is a 3 inch by 3 inch flap, and Louis Vuitton offers a miniature version of their iconic Speedy bag, named the “Nano Speedy,” which has flown off the virtual shelves, remaining sold out on the Louis Vuitton website, for the better part of the tiny bag trend’s existence. 

The newest addition to the Jacquemus micro-bag family is as much impractical as it is adorable, but symbolizes a craving for minimalism, honing down our material possessions to the most treasured and necessary, and the ensuing rewards of living within a decluttered space and state of mind.

Marie Kondo, Japanese tidying expert whose method for organization earned her a bestselling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and as of January, a Netflix show, highlights this yearning for less. 

Simplified, the method calls for an elimination of all items that do not, in Kondo’s words, “spark joy.” It encourages us to ask ourselves variations of the metaphorical burning house question: What would you save in a fire? What can you not live without? Or, equally important, what can you certainly live without?

Realistically, there’s not much we need to carry on a daily basis. Money, identification, keys, and perhaps a lipstick are all things that would easily fit in most micro-bags. The biggest adversary to the trend are smartphones, growing larger every year. However, considering that in the modern age phones are most often kept in one’s hand, there is less of a necessity to carry a bag that can hide them away. 

In her book, Kondo attests to the effect that decluttering has had on her clients beyond the scope of their physical space. As she puts it, “When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life and what you don’t.” Her clients, no longer faced with the clutter of their possessions, were able to envision their goals more clearly and see them through. 

A reassessment of our material wants versus needs shouldn’t start and end with our choice in handbag, but when carrying a micro-bag, we are forcing ourselves to consider what is most essential and what we can do without. In most cases, the crushed granola bars, pens and lip balms that haunt the bottom of our hobo bags of trends past fit into the latter category. 

When we begin to put our lives in order, we must start somewhere. The intrinsic satire of carrying a micro-bag that fits next to nothing, or nothing useful, is an exaggerated reflection of our desire for utility centric minimalism. While Jacquemus’ newest micro-bag might be over the line outrageous, is it absurd to suggest we lighten our material load? When starting to consider the excess of items we carry on a daily basis, the question naturally expands to our living space as a whole. How many of the items in your home do you really need, or if not need, how many do you love enough to keep and dedicate space to? 

Of course, there will be days when you need to carry a larger bag, and carrying minimal amounts of items, in itself, will not put your life in order, but as Marie Kondo believes, when we finally rid ourselves of the weight of overindulgent materialism, we are able to come to terms with what we truly need in life – and sometimes it may turn out that we already have it.