Backpacks Got Your Back

Women: hold your purses. The men have always had it right. Or, should I say that the schoolgirls and schoolboys have (actually) always had it right.

Let’s go back to when backpacks were cool…

Okay, done. Now, let’s re-evaluate our discomfort today—carrying books and laptops in our arms because our ‘handbags’ are not big enough, or if they are we have the back pains to go with it. It’s really a simple solution, but why do so many people still insist on carrying their lives –along with their uni books and such – in totes or leather designer handbags?

The fact is, in recent years, backpacks have become a fashionable statement, and many designers have in fact jumped on this bandwagon to bring style and comfort to students, travellers, and general bag-ladies alike. Not only that, here in St Andrews, we are well-aware of all the brands who specialise solely in backpacks. Unconsciously or not, the logos flash by us going into lectures or appear dominantly before you while waiting in line for a coffee.

Take Herschel: many people find this a go-to collection for a minimal design that works. When asking a few people, they find some of the brand’s designs appealing because it had a pattern on the bottom or extra pockets placed inside and out. The pattern adds the ‘oomph’, one person said, to the black and simple zipper design of this Herschel style photographed below. (There are loads of others I have seen – ranging from hiking style to messenger style backpacks.)

However, along with backpack “brands”, some of St Andrews finest backpacks being sported are ones you just have to ask people where they found it. The backpacks we find most visually appealing are partly due to the material in which it is made. Leather backpacks are widely popular, and provide a chic rendition of a typical canvas backpack style. They are typically seen hanging off the shoulders of your library crush or on the population of those you admire for being standout-yet-so-casual.

When asking a third year about her camel leather beauty (photographed below), she was quite ready to explain her reasons for donning backpack style:

“I tend to wear my clothing until it can’t be worn any longer, so my durable leather rucksack from Madewell is perfect! I love it for several reasons, chief among them being that it can comfortably carry all my books, a laptop, etc. without giving me crippling back pain, not to mention that the leather is somewhat drizzle resistant (definitely a plus in St. Andrews where the weather can be less than predicable). It also comes with the option of a personalised initial placement, which I love. Finally, I find the aesthetic of leather and shiny metal hardware very appealing; there is something worn and comfortable about it, yet eye-catching and individual.”

Basically, it comes down to comfort! Maybe people will always think about taking out their old rucksack as a nostalgic one-day revival, and never actually do it. Or, perhaps more of us will entirely commit to hopping on the backpack trend, by adopting a new friend for years to come. Not only are they durable and provide an equal distribution of weight on your back—saving your posture for the long run—but they can be incredibly hip.

Here, in St Andrews, where we are highly conscious of being practical: we would never show up underdressed to an event, nor would we strut down our cobbled streets in the daytime wearing high heels. We have adapted to being fashionable and practical. Ergo, let the Age of the Backpack begin.

Images courtesy of Shari Sharpe