For decades, the backpack has reigned supreme as the student bag of choice with little-to-no competition. But recently, a new fashion trend has flown under the radar on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus.
Say goodbye to JanSport and hello to Longchamp totes. Instead of sporting stuffed backpacks, students are slinging stylish tote bags and purses over their shoulders.
“Half my friends all have totes, no more backpacks,” UW-Madison senior Megan Dickert said.
A backpack screams collegiate, while a tote bag or purse can have a lot more versatility. Purses, for instance, can be seen as casual, professional or formal depending on the occasion. They eliminate the need to run back home after classes to swap out for a handbag before running to an internship interview or hitting the bars with friends.
“I think a lot of people just stopped using backpacks because it doesn't fit their aesthetic anymore,” another UW-Madison senior, Grace Fragakis, said.
Wearing a bag around campus can help students feel more put together and polished, especially because college is such a vital time for self expression and coming of age. The choice to leave behind the bulky backpack in favor of a stylish cross-body or practical tote bag is a way for students to feel more chic, confident and mature.
“I think they look more adult,” Dickert said.
But when more and more designer bags are popping up on campus, it can start to look more like flaunting luxury consumerism than a practical personal choice. That creased, worn-down purse your friend has been sporting? It could have cost hundreds of dollars.
Fragakis uses a Longchamp tote bag and has observed their popularity on campus, especially among sorority girls. The cheapest Longchamp product available on their website, a small mesh bag, is just over a hundred dollars, while the most expensive, a large leather tote bag, is over $1,300.
Thanks to the beat-up bags trend of the past year, looking totally effortless is the new extravagance. And this quiet luxury may just be (part of) the reason these purses and handbags are populating every lecture hall this spring.
These bags also provide easier access to your necessities on the go. Instead of slinging a backpack off of your shoulder and rifling through countless zipper pouches in the middle of the sidewalk, you can easily reach in a tote and grab what you need.
“I have more of my daily essentials,” Fragakis said.
Dickert opts to alternate between a tote and a backpack depending on her needs.
“On days where I have [a] lighter [load]… I'll take my tote because I just need to fit my computer in it, versus on a day where I have to go to the gym, I'll take my backpack because I can send more items in it,” Dickert said.
Stylish or not, backpacks are much more spacious and sturdy than a flimsy tote bag made from recycled linen. There’s a reason they’ve been a campus staple for decades. But when many students today are ditching heavy textbooks for a thin laptop or tablet, the allure of the backpack may be wearing thin.
“It's just not necessary to have a full backpack now,” Fragakis said.
