Honeyee Bag Feature

01

Image

—01. Wtaps, A.P.C. & Visvim bags.

Words

Honeyee has recently published a feature dedicated to the bags of spring. Spanning from totes to back packs to shoulder bags, the feature looks at some of the season's best options as well as choice selections from Takashi Kumagai, Hiroshi Ozawa and Masahiko Sakata.

—Honeyee

Comments

[Dr Mike Ockhurts]

I think its entirely awful the attempt to impose what are effectively 'Handbags' on the male population under the guise of stylishness. The manufacturers of this stuff see insecure males as a new untapped market.Stylish it aint.

[pk]

I was in Japan several years ago and I saw a lot of men carrying totes, mainly as a functional accessory; it had nothing to do with stylishness or insecurity, though there were a few that looked to be more sturdy or well made. Porter's been making "manbags" for a long time now, and it's reputation for quality has made it "stylish". Same goes for American brands like Filson. I don't think this is an "awful attempt" at an imposition. The market is there, you're just narrow-minded enough to assume your world-view is the most current or up to date.

[Brian Braddock]

The only place a man should carry a tote is to the beach.

[Jim@Bronx]

@pk Seems like the majority of Japanese women disagree with you.

[pk]

WTF are you talking about? There are some really daft mother f*ckers here. I never said Japanese women don't buy totes, only stating that there is unisex appeal to using totes, at least in Japan. It's largely a non-issue as far as it being an accessory that determines masculinity. Honeyee is a Japanese site; the target audience is clearly unisex. Please prove me wrong or STFU.

[Dr Mike ockhurts]

I stand by the statement i made earlier---m'lud.!!! Pk----you'd look like an idiot sashaying down the street with the above 'stars and stripes' number.I will concede however that Po rter bags are the least awful----but what about that suede tote listed by Ryan a few posts ago?-----fine for my many female friends----but i know no male who would touch one of these things.

[Jim@Bronx]

@pk, why are you getting angry? That makes your argument sound a bit weak, to be honest. It is clear though that Japanese women are coming to different conclusions about Japanese men than you are. It is hard to understand for someone only visiting, so I'm not saying you're an idiot.

[pk]

Doc Cockknocker - you're still not getting it. You or I may not find those designs appealing but it is very possible that in Japan, where totes are more universally accepted, you could find a man using one and no one would bat an eye. The website is marketed towards Japanese. I'm asserting that your original comment is universally stupid. Clearly we disagree, but I think I've made the stronger point than just relying on personal opinion about the way things should be rather than the way things are. The world is a big place. Try seeing it sometime. I think the fellas at Inventory try to stay within a specific narrative that certainly includes other (albeit typically the same) parts of the world.

Jim - It's the internet, I thought my "anger" was kinda funny myself. 1/ Your assumption that my time in Japan several years ago being the only time I've ever been in Japan is a wrong one. The point of that bit was to show that totes have been around for awhile in Japan. 2/ The discussion centered around totes being somehow "unmasculine" even though men seem to actually use them without reservation, at least in Japan. How do Japanese women's opinions about men factor into this? If you're implying that tote-usage is a barometer of how Japanese women view men, then you sound really dumb. 3/ Exactly how "clear" is it that "Japanese women are coming to different conclusions about Japanese men"? There are many reasons why Japanese women may be disaffected by Japanese men, but them using totes has nothing to do with it. You simply stated an opinion about Japanese women's perceptions without fleshing it out, in a discussion about totes of all things. 4/ I've written the word "totes" too many times. That makes me mad. But if I were truly angry, then I WOULD USE ALL CAPS. Now you know.

[Dr Mike Ockhurts]

Your predictably abusive tone suggests to me that you have a particularly tiny brain----and you also appear to lack any sophistication.

[pk]

I suppose this could be a credible observation coming from someone with a less juvenile handle. You seem to dish critical and abrasive comments fairly well, so I assumed you could handle my "abusive tone". Sorry I was wrong, though I'm glad you have "many female friends" to assuage your pain. Or I've got a kerchief in my tote I can lend you. It's camo.

[Jim@Bronx]

@pk I never assumed you were in Japan only once. I did assume though that you were only visiting, however often, and therefore your expertise on the finer details of modern Japanese society might be a little under-complex.
It is true that you see a lot of men with tote bags here. It is not necessarily true that it is generally considered a "good look" for a man. At least not for the "manly" sort of man, which, despite many projections on part of the Western Japan aficionados to the contrary, is still the most desired by Japanese woman.

[Dr Mike Ockhurts]

Brane hurts.

[pk]

What do you base your assertions on? The handful of Japanese women you know? What sort of timeframe are you looking at for speaking of "modern" Japan? Post WWII? What generation of women are you speaking for? Mid 20s? I am exactly stating that the issue you purport is more complex-- certainly more complex than trying to relate tote-usage as a measure of how a Japanese woman measures "desirability". You're putting the cart before the horse. I'm stating that based on the obvious market for totes, some men may buy totes for style, but most that I've seen probably just don't give a fuck what any woman thinks, or whether it's a "good look" to a woman. Who cares? Guys wear a lot of things without considering how impressed women are/will be with their choices. You don't have to go to Japan to know that. Japanese men use totes because they can fit all their shit in it. Some may have stylistic preferences, but overall they don't care what the opinions of women are with regard to their tote choices. It's a reasonable assumption b/c the market seems to reflect this. Your assertion that "Japanese women are coming to different conclusions about men [than me]" has nothing to do with anything I said, nor does it have anything to do with totes. If it does, it would have to be very distantly correlated, and you have yet to explain with any helpful examples. You're not exactly dazzling me with your insight here; the issues Japanese women have with men in "modernity" aren't dissimilar to what Korean women are experiencing, either. You have a far better argument taking the angle of women's empowerment/education, the role of media (which you touched on), and a crumbling patriarchal "paradigm" to show how women's attitudes are changing in their respective cultures. But give me a friggin' break if you expect me to believe the market for totes have anything to do with such changes in attitude.

[Dr Mike Ockhurts]

Blimey!