Mansur Gavriel: Why is this bag brand so popular?
How a simple bucket bag became one of the most pre-ordered bags to buy in Singapore.
By Hong Xinying
Image: Mansur Gavriel/ Instagram
The branding on the Mansur Gavriel bucket bag is subtle: its name is printed in gold, in a small font, near its base. It is simple in design, with no fancy hardware or zipper; just a drawstring to tighten or loosen the mouth of the bag.
This particular bag from New York-based label Mansur Gavriel is selling like hotcakes, whether abroad or in Singapore. On top of that, you may not be able to pre-order the bag even if you wanted to.
Stores have ‘more customers than bags to sell’
The elusiveness of these bags makes them so appealing. It’s easy to want a bag that you can’t have. You may not even see these bags at the local stores that stock it.
The three year-old bag and accessories brand was recently brought into Singapore in July by multi-label designer boutique On Pedder. Another retailer LaPrendo has been retailing the bags online and at its boutique since early 2014.
Although LaPrendo declined to disclose the exact number of Mansur Gavriel bags sold, its press representative told Yahoo Singapore that the store has “more customers than bags to sell”.
LaPrendo, which stocks the Mansur Gavriel bags twice a year, has already closed pre-orders for the year. The next shipment will only come in March 2016 and the store will only start collecting orders from December 2015. A 50 per cent deposit is also compulsory for each order.
Mansur Gavriel bucket bag. Image: On Pedder
At On Pedder, pre-order requests from shoppers continue to come in almost daily, said its press officer.
The demand for these bags has been so high that shoppers need to make full payment and be physically present at the On Pedder Ngee Ann City store to purchase or pre-order any Mansur Gavriel bag. The boutique has also closed pre-orders for the brand’s best-selling style: the medium-sized bucket bag.
A brand on the rise
“I think the brand is at the height of its popularity right now,” said Stacey Chia, a former fashion journalist.
The 27 year-old pointed out that the brand’s recent win at the prominent Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards 2015 — Mansur Gavriel was the recipient for the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design — has helped raise its profile.
Added Chia: “At first only fashion insiders, people who ‘knew’ the brand carried it and now at least five friends I know own a Mansur Gavriel bag each!”
In a sea of flashy branded bags, the clean lines and simple design of the Mansur Gavriel bag make it stand out too.
The comparatively affordable prices are another reason for Mansur Gavriel’s popularity.
Made from Italian-imported Tuscan leather, Mansur Gavriel bag prices in Singapore at On Pedder start from $680 for the bucket bag in the smallest size. LaPrendo retails Mansur Gavriel bags from $700.
That makes these bags just a quarter of the price of similar bags from top fashion houses including Saint Laurent, which can retail from $2,000 and upwards here.
How these women bought theirs
It seems that timing and a certain amount of luck is needed, judging by the experiences of the Singapore women that Yahoo Singapore talked to.
Fyn Goh, founder of wholesale womenswear brand Fyn, bought her bucket bag right off the Mansur Gavriel website, for approximately S$700.
Goh got her bag within two months of waiting; the 31 year-old visited the website frequently to check if it was in stock. She finally bought her bag on the site in May this year.
“Quite a number of my friends know about it, especially those in the fashion industry. But some of them complained that it’s so difficult to get that they gave up and bought bags from other brands instead,” said Goh.
Other alternatives include scouring the web for e-retailers that will ship these bags to Singapore. One such site is Net-A-Porter, which has the brand’s saddle bags and tote bags still in stock.
Some shoppers have expanded their search to overseas stores. Chief digital editor Pamela Tan found her Mansur Gavriel bag while overseas in New York at Opening Ceremony, a multi-label designer boutique.
The 32 year-old purchased the bucket bag in a limited edition silver colour for USD 795 (approximately S$1,111). She added that she would likely buy another, if given the chance.
“I do believe in the quality of the leather used to produce the bags and the designs are pretty timeless so they won’t be ‘out’ of style anytime soon,” said Tan.
Other enterprising buyers have taken the chance to profit from the resale of their Mansur Gavriel bags. Such bags can be found on popular marketplace app Carousell, from $600 to as high as $1,200, as of press time.
Would you be tempted to grab one of these bags too?
