Fanny pack, bum bag, utility bag, belt bag – it has many names. An accessory brought to us with the 90s era aesthetic revival, it has become the new wardrobe staple.
When the capricious lady called the fashion industry annoyingly threw at us the new fanny pack trend, I sighed realizing that it’s another trend that I won’t accept. But look at me now, I’m a person who can’t leave the apartment without my fanny pack. How did it happen?
After meditating on this topic, I’ve realised that the reason for my unacceptance lies in association. If westerners usually associate fanny packs with sporty people, tourists and dads, for Russians the image is not that colourful. As for me, the belt bag is associated with a bus conductor, a tired woman trying to make her way through a crowded bus.
As for now - after replacing mundane associations with colourful fashionable ones - I proudly walk around the city with my belt bag. I can’t help but wonder about how fast this trend happened to spread. Because even small kids are riding around on bicycles and rollers with fanny packs. Like, damn it, fashion is really powerful. Also, belt bags are really alluring, and there are some reasons for it.
For anxious people with their heads in the clouds, probably composing a fashion article in their heads while they’re walking, fanny packs actually spare their nerve cells. You don’t have to think about securing your bag and constantly pulling it closer to you. Because it’s just there, literally on your body, in your eyesight. As a result: cortisol levels are normal and you’re feeling cute and stylish – ah, all those little joys in life.
On top of that they’re hella functional: small yet roomy they free your hands. Nice bonus - you don’t have to fix them on the shoulders. Also, if you just need to grab some essentials like phone and keys, but don’t feel comfortable with stuffing with them your pockets – fanny pack to the rescue.
We’re finally getting to the fashion part, yay! Because no matter how comfy and functional things are, fashion is mostly about self-expression through visual aspects. And bum bags can easily provide you with that. Modern designers made sure that you would be able to find one that will fit you, presenting a variety of leather and textile variants. They’re like a good pair of sneakers that can be combined with both sporty and classic looks and silhouettes (of course, only if you choose and mix wisely). You can pull off both sporty or more classy looks wearing a fanny pack with a sleek pantsuit.
Better than talking about everything in theory, I think we should look at some examples. I’m certain that many of you have already seen dozens of photos with western celebrities wearing belt bags, so I’m going to illustrate this trend with some Korean idols.
