It is almost impossible to see a woman without a handbag in the busy streets of Nairobi or anywhere in the world. Women and handbags are said to be indivisible twins.
However, handbags actually started out as a man’s accessory. The term was first popularised in 1900 as a term for a man’s briefcase and as far back as Ancient Egypt, hieroglyphics portray men carrying pouches around their waists.
With the introduction of pockets to men’s clothing in 1670, men discarded bags, and they began to be known purely as the domain of women’s fashion.
After the First World War, women entered the working force giving them power to own their own properties without depending on the man like before. Therefore, carrying a handbag became a sign of independence and stature.Various types of handbags
Handbags had a role to play in the women’s equality movement, giving them a place to carry their own money and possessions. This is why handbags have always functioned as signifiers of power, status and beauty, in addition to their practical uses.
In the modern era, handbags have become a deep psychological need to the female species. It brings out the desire to organise and contain that which is important to their daily lives.
At the most basic level, a hand bag carries important personal effects that need to be mobile.
Now made of any material imaginable, women carry today’s bags over their shoulders, under their arms or in their hands to store all the necessary accoutrements of modern life.