Has the Multi-Bag Trend Finally Run Its Course?

In late 2019, Rihanna debuted a Louis Vuitton bag that would take the handbag world by storm (technically, Valentina Ferragni wore it first, but I digress). Handbag fans and Louis Vuitton lovers around the globe became obsessed—including us—with the Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette Accessoires, and within weeks, the new bag was nearly impossible to find.

I know this to be true because I, too, had my name on waitlists at more than one boutique. Once I finally secured my bag, I was unexpectedly offered another, which I sold to a friend of a friend (at retail price, of course) to help make her handbag dreams come true. This bag’s popularity was unrivaled, taking us all back to the heyday of the It-Bag era.

The Multi Pochette That Defined a Moment

Unsurprisingly, Louis Vuitton’s take on the multi-bag spawned a wave of imitators. Despite debuting at the height of a global pandemic—or perhaps because of its hands-free design—the trend endured. Soon, Prada, Chanel, and countless contemporary brands introduced their own takes on the look, following the Multi Pochette’s lead. Meanwhile, the original Louis Vuitton version continued not only to sell out but also to appear on the shoulders of fashion insiders and everyday handbag lovers alike.

There wasn’t a fashion week that went by without a sighting of the Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette—until, of course, there was. As the early 2020s gave way to the middle of the decade, sightings became increasingly rare. It’s now been years since one appeared in our fashion week street style roundups, and nearly eight years after its debut, the Multi Pochette trend appears to have quietly faded away.

The Natural Life Cycle of a Trend

All good things must come to an end, and while it’s impossible to predict exactly how long a trend will last, fashion cycles tend to follow a familiar pattern: an initial boom, a peak, a decline, and eventually, dormancy.

We’re now nearly eight years removed from the Multi Pochette’s debut, and the trend has long since reached mass-market saturation. While brands like Prada and Louis Vuitton still continue to produce these once-hyped silhouettes, the trend itself has clearly moved beyond its peak and is settling into dormancy. That’s not to say the silhouette has disappeared entirely—it simply no longer commands the attention it once did.

Is the Multi-Bag Really Over?

Of course, fashion no longer operates by strict rules, and just because a trend has run its course doesn’t mean you should stop wearing it. If a bag still brings you joy, that’s reason enough to keep reaching for it.

Do you think the multi-bag trend is officially over? If you own one, do you still reach for it as often as you once did?