The "if" factor: Balenciaga Top Handles

Recently, Nicolas Ghesquire -the creative director for Balenciaga- was interviewed about his famous purses that are now considered classics and how that signature top-handle was almost once just a prototype.

In the interview he discusses that, at first, the top handle purses were not released because they weren’t sure they would do too well and people surprisingly did not like them because of their overall look. Little did he know how much of a huge hit the distressed leather, vibrant bags would be and how that top-handle would become an iconic staple for the brand itself.

In the early stages, there were only about 25 purses that were sent to be made in production for runway and that was it. It wasn't until supermodel Kate Moss had mentioned to Ghesquire that she loved the bags and he should re-think their ultimate value, that he was inspired to go full speed with production on these bad boys.

We should all be so glad and thankful to Ghesquire -and Moss- for making the top handles more than a prototype and unleashing the beauty of these bags to the world and not just the runway!

Text Jordan Bossman
Source(s): Balenciaga, Nicolas Ghesquire