Chinese Men Love Purses

Monday, 07 February 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The newest status symbol for Chinese men is not an expensive set of golf clubs or a fancy new car—it’s a designer purse. The LA Times says 45 percent of China’s luxury handbags are bought by men. Although many of the styles are designed specifically for men, many feature the same flourishes—“Burberry plaid, Gucci’s interlocking GG pattern or Louis Vuitton’s distinct LV monogram”—found on women’s purses.

And according to the paper, men proudly discuss their “power bags” instead of cloaking them in ambiguities (messenger bag, anyone) like their Western counterparts. They say carrying a handbag “makes people think you could potentially work for a big company.” The Times says luxury handbag makers couldn’t be happier to count both sexes in the world’s most populous country as customers.