The Belt / Waist / Bum / Skater / Cross body / Chest-Tactical Bag
I had a conversation today about practical small bags for women and men that enabled the wearer to be hands-free and of course, the Bum bag was talked about. It's been in and out of fashion quite a few times, [and laughed at] but when you think about it they are really practical. How many times have you struggled to carry your stuff?
It's usually the smaller things that fall to the bottom of your bag that has everything in it but the kitchen sink. Let's all agree that a Belt/Waist/Bum/Skater/Crossbody/Chest/Tactical bag is a sensible, practical investment.
There is history about the beginnings of said bag. It first appeared about 5,000 years ago. According to PrimitiveWays.com, Otzi the Iceman, who lived between 3400 and 3100 B.C., wore a calf leather belt with a pouch that contained three flint tools, one bone saw and a lump of tinder fungus. Other civilisations, the Egyptians, the Scots, and English Knights, continued the pouch tradition of fastening to the body with a lace or strap.
Fast forward to the 80s. The bag was now made from nylon or rip stock. They were durable, colourful, practical, and mass-produced. Tourists loved them but they were not a good look.
Then there was the Chanel bag in 1994. Karl Lagerfeld created the ‘Belt bag’ in Chanel’s signature quilted black lambskin. In the late 90s, Louis Vuitton and Gucci joined in.
In the mid-90s it was the ‘Skater bag’. Skateboarders in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo started to wear the bags to keep keys, phones, and wallets safe. The skate brand Supreme began producing them. At some point, the skaters started wearing the bags across their bodies. The bag was popular again thanks to the skaters and it went upmarket.
Supreme began making larger bags with curved straps and adjustable features, designed to be worn across the front of the body. Once again Gucci and Louis Vuitton began producing belt bags, now being true to the original ‘Bum bag’ but now being called ‘Waist bags’.
In 2017 the streetwear brand Alyx continued to evolve the Cross body bag, which became the ‘’Chest Rig’ bag. This bag was more rectangular and was worn in the middle of the chest, having four straps with four buckles instead of just one. Kanye wore one in New York in 2017 and everyone wanted one. In 2018 it was the ‘Tactical vest’, a wearable crossbody bag or vest with lots of pockets.
In 2022 many designers have Waist/Chest/Multi purpose bags in their collections in beautiful leathers, fabrics, colours, and styles, all showing amazing craftsmanship. Wearing a Waist/Chest bag spans the generations and yes they are still worn by tourists, but no one is laughing now as we all know how practical these bags are.