“I almost think the rucksack is the ultimate bag for the 21st century,” says Katie Hillier, Marc Jacobs’ accessories designer. “It’s a completely functional, unisex bag that ticks all the right boxes.”
Ed Burstell, buying director of London department store Liberty, is unconvinced: “Imagine a chief executive swinging into the boardroom with a rucksack on her back. She’s not recapturing her youth, it’s just silly.”
So who’s right? It depends on the rucksack in question – and this season labels from Chanel to Mulberry have all proposed versions of their own – and on how, exactly, you wear it. What is clear is that the object at issue is no longer your backpacker’s rucksack.
Liberty, for example, offers Jas MB vintage leather rucksacks (£230) nestled among its Miu Miu/Givenchy/Céline handbags. Eastpak – a brand loved by photographers and students – applies prints by the likes of Eley Kishimoto and Peter Pilotto to its practical shape (from £35). Jean Paul Gaultier has a fur-trimmed, embroidered number, just about big enough for an iPhone. At Chanel, the look is quilted.
Michael Kors has designed flat and slouchy rucksacks in distressed brown leather; Etro’s grown-up version of the schoolbag comes with a buckled strap to go over both shoulders; Marc Jacobs’ “Army Handhack” (£120) is a zippy, drawstring backpack with leather flaps, buckles, laces and zips in soldier khaki and high-octane orange; and Alexander Wang has made rucksacks from the same fabric as his ready-to-wear, for those who like to match.
As a result, Burstell admits, “There’s a little sliver of a cool moment about a rucksack right now.” And the truth is, he adds, they do sell.
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