6 Ferragamo Bags That Are Destined to Reach Cult Status

Although no one can argue that fashion moves fast, the industry is slow to change. Sure, it seems like fashion is quickly evolving—we're constantly witnessing specific trends or even items being catapulted into the cultural zeitgeist and amassing cult status seemingly overnight. While we might feel things continuously change from season to season, exposing the seams can tell a different story. Actual systemic change has not moved nearly as fast as everything else in fashion, for who gets to attain positions of power has remained essentially unchanged. Just to put it into perspective, late last year, Vogue Business reported that of the top 33 luxury houses, only three creative director positions are held by people of color in the 21st century.

It's a fact that seems to fly in the face of the fact that we've recently witnessed the largest spike in cultural appetite for luxury fashion due to the quiet luxury movement that spans generations, demographics, and socioeconomic backgrounds. For so many people, the allure of investing in designer goods has never been higher, but with that desire also comes the stark realization that they can not always see themselves reflected within the luxury space. Even within something as harmless as the old money fashion aesthetic, how it's reflected is tied not only to having wealth but also one's proximity to whiteness. Within fashion, ideas about who the "typical" luxury consumer is and which creatives get to determine what high fashion is have long been exclusionary. But not all hope is lost—change is coming slowly. 

With a new wave of fashion consumers, long gone are the days when pandering to the gallery works. Many shoppers only want to support brands that put their money where their mouth is by giving people of color positions of power. That shift in consumer behavior can be most adeptly traced to the rise in popularity of Ferragamo. Since the Italian fashion house appointed its first-ever Black creative director, Maximilian Davis, the brand has become the place for luxury lovers of all kinds to see their desires reflected on the runway. While the brand's ready-to-wear collections have captivated the fashion crowd's attention, the brand's bags have received the most buzz thus far. In light of that, we're sharing a list of the six best Ferragamo bags and why we believe that Davis's appointment signals a change for the house and—dare we say—the wider industry. First, here's a bit about this iconic Italian fashion house…

About Ferragamo

Were you to surveil the luxury landscape, you'd likely conclude that most houses started as haute couture ateliers, only to make their foray into accessories later down the line. That wasn't true for the now illustrious Italian brand Ferragamo. Although the brand has shown some of the most exciting ready-to-wear collections in recent seasons, many might not know that the brand began as a bespoke footwear label. Founded by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1927, much of the house's heritage is tied to the late founder's passion for footwear. In fact, ready-to-wear wasn't even launched until 38 years after the house's inception.

We can retrace the steps of the brand's ascension into the luxury space back to when Ferragamo first chose to immigrate from Italy to the United States, landing in California. After running a footwear repair shop for some time, he decided to begin creating custom footwear for celebrities at a period when Hollywood was in its golden era—massive investments were made into film production companies, cinematography technology evolved, and we saw the rise of iconic stars. During that period, the founder earned the moniker "shoemaker to the stars," as his work was worn by some of the most famous women of that era, including Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. 

From that initial success, the brand built a foundation that could support the expansion into various categories, including leather goods. One could argue that Ferragamo's handbags have rivaled or even beat the popularity of its footwear offering—at least in recent history. We first saw the brand introduce the category in 1949, and the buzz surrounding the brand's bags has bubbled up in recent seasons. Part of the uptick in excitement concerns the house's internal shift, led by Davis.

Since his appointment in 2022, the British-Trinidadian-Jamaican creative has encouraged a new generation to connect to this historic house. Davis has been able to do so by recontextualizing the house's rich archives for the contemporary consumer in a way that is, for lack of a better word, extremely cool. The best example of how Davis has brought back that "sex appeal" is through the brand's bag offering, which has captured the attention of Hollywood's glitterati again. While it's no secret that the label has had a long history of being beloved among the celeb set, the melding of the house's commitment to craftmanship with Davis's design perspective has pushed the brand's popularity to new levels. It's arguably become one of the best places to shop for luxury bags right now. If you're unsure which exact bags are worth buying, keep reading. We're breaking down which Ferragamo bags are the best of the best.

1. Ferragamo Hug Bag

Arguably, the best example of Davis's innate ability to pay homage to Ferragamo's brand identity while also speaking to the contemporary woman is embodied through the Hug bag. Debuted in Davis's fall/winter 2023 collection for the brand, the style has a structured shape with soft, round edges that can be "hugged" comfortably underneath the arms or carried by the straps—either the two top handles or detachable crossbody. What sets the style apart from so many other luxury handbags is the signature Gancini hardware closures on the front. Although a small detail, the hardware on this bag draws from the house's archives while also reflecting a broader cultural moment—ahem, the quiet luxury movement.

With so much of this aesthetic's emphasis on opting for classic items with contemporary twists, it only makes sense that the Hug bag has become so popular. Sure, it doesn't hurt that the bag has made its way into the hands of A-listers like Lori Harvey and Tracee Ellis Ross, but really, the style's popularity goes back to how it's primed to be a cult classic in anyone's wardrobe. It's fit for the 9-to-5 grind while having more design-centric features that fashion people crave, including sizes ranging from mini to medium and 12 colorways. Basically, the Hug bag has aced the balancing act between being timeless and seemingly of the time, making it a great buy all around. 

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2. Ferragamo Hug Pouch

One of the marks of a luxury house's enduring appeal is its ability to continue to reenvision its hallmark items in rousing ways. A prime example of this is Ferragamo's Hug Pouch, which debuted simultaneously with the Hug bag on the F/W 23 runway. Although these bags feature some of the same details—the structured shape, soft edges, distinct hardware, and variety of colorways—they're fundamentally different in functionality. The distinction between these two bags is akin to those found between fraternal twins. They look similar but have wildly different temperaments.

With the Hug bag, the vibes are serious overall, but with the pouch, it's a bit more mischievous. In part, that has to do with the pouch's compact shape, which comes in two sizes (small and large) that are prime for evening occasions. Although the style does happen to come with a detachable crossbody strap, the most common styling we've seen is as a proper clutch bag, which has made its distinction crystal clear from its counterpart. In the eyes of the fashion crowd, the Hug Pouch has all of the trappings of the Hug bag, transformed into a silhouette that's too tempting to pass up. 

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3. Ferragamo Geometric Prisma Bag

Were you to deeply reflect on the state of luxury fashion, you might conclude that many brands are, well, quite boring. It's harsh, we know, but one of the things that's been lacking from the accessory department of many high-end brands is the desire to push the envelope—instead of just releasing the same version of a handbag that was popular years ago. After all, spice is the variety of life! We might love classic handbags, but we live for when designers push the boundaries of our imaginations, or at the very least our wardrobes. For the contemporary consumer, getting our fix for something that feels "off the beaten path" is of the utmost importance—a fact that is not lost on Davis. On a deeper level, it's clear that this designer understands our desires. Look to the Ferragamo Prisma bag as proof. 

Marking its debut in the S/S 23 collection, the style was met with fanfare from fashion insiders because of its sharper take on the classic shoulder bag. Rather than opting for the traditional rectangular baguette, the style is a trapezoid with sharp geometric edges that add visual intrigue while creating an ultra-spacious interior. It comes with an adjustable shoulder strap with minimal hardware and is available in two sizes and seven colors. This bag checks all the boxes while also being well outside of it. 

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4. Ferragamo Wanda Bag

While many of the buzzier Ferragamo bags are recently released styles, there are a few archival silhouettes that are just as noteworthy. Enter into the chat… the Wanda bag. First introduced in 1988 as a tribute to Salvatore's wife, Wanda Ferragamo, the bag is one of the house's most recognizable silhouettes. Featuring a rigid geometric shape, distinct top handle, and Gancini buckle closures, it's become synonymous with the Italian fashion house's image. With such a rich history, it was no surprise when Davis paid homage to it by incorporating the bag into his debut S/S 23 collection.

Don't be fooled. These were not carbon copies of the Wanda bags we'd seen from the brand before. Davis gave the style his signature spin by playing with portions and color palettes. The style's silhouette was dramatized by creating east-to-west shapes, deeper vertical profiles, and even miniaturized versions. Additionally, bags came in more daring colorways, including leopard prints made from pony hair and airbrushed ombré prints. The subtle updates made to this signature style proved that some things never go out of style.

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5. Ferragamo Cutout Shoulder Bag

It's not too much of a stretch to surmise that, in putting together a mood board for his debut show, Davis dug through archives from the '90s to cut out inspiration for the brand's S/S 23 collection. We could see the influence of archival fashion at work most visibly with the release of the Ferragamo cutout shoulder bag, which features the signature shape that was synonymous with that era in fashion. However, the similarities to the past stop there, as this handbag is a far cry from the cut-and-dry shoulder bags of the past. No other bag signals the house's shift into the future as visibly as this bag. The "classic" handbag has been made cutting-edge—quite literally.

Featuring a leather shell with clean cutouts that expose contrasting inner shells made from canvas, suede, and exotic materials, the style gives the timeless silhouette a stylish upgrade while still being as highly functional as any other shoulder bag. It comes in sizes from mini to extra large, has an adjustable strap, and boasts a spacious interior. But let us cut to the point for you: The allure of this bag goes beyond how it looks or even how wearable it is for everyday life. It's the greatest representation of how Davis has managed to bridge the gap between the past and the present in a way few other designers can claim to have achieved. 

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6. Ferragamo Arch Shoulder Bag

We're almost done rambling, but we'd be remiss if we didn't reiterate one last time that Davis has managed to do what so many other creative designers fail at achieving. It takes a great deal of skill to artfully meld the house's rich history with your own design vision, yet Davis has proved he can do just that in a matter of a few seasons. The proof of his success in his role can be found everywhere, but we believe it's most prominent in the purses. We've seen the brand not just release some of the buzziest new bags but also continue to reimagine the archival items that are synonymous with the house. Take, for instance, the debut of the Ferragamo Arch bag in the F/W 23 runway collection.

Drawing inspiration from the archives, the bag takes the archetypal slouchy bag and makes it au courant again. The style has the signature elements of former slouchy bags from the brand—e.g., the rounded shape and signature Gancini buckles—but not without a few unexpected elements that mostly dramatize the bag's proportions both figuratively and literally. With the latter, we see the breadth of the bag range from compact shoulder-bag iterations to the oversize carryalls we've seen trending on the runways in each season. Additionally, each bag features an asymmetrical pocket with an accordion detail that gives the shape a bit more depth overall. Although these subtle updates might not seem like the most outsized changes, they serve as a reminder that the best designers don't always need to make a massive overhaul to a brand for it to make a big splash. You simply need a few big bags (or even smaller ones) to do the job. 

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Shop More Noteworthy Ferragamo Bags…

Hopefully, by now, we'll have illustrated why Ferragamo's bags are some of the best designer accessories on the market. Should you still be unsure about which one you want to buy, we'll leave you with one last word of advice: Don't be afraid to shop for different types of bags. One of the best things about Ferragamo is that the luxury house has so many well-crafted, highly functional, timeless accessories that you don't have to limit your search to just these six styles. Instead, consider them a starting point. Ultimately, there are so many great Ferragamo bags out there, with more coveted styles likely to come in the future, so you really can't go wrong with anything you buy from the brand. Therefore, it's imperative to be open to shopping for other styles if the ones above don't fit what you're looking for at the moment. You want whatever bag you pick to be the one that's best for you, not just the buzziest option.