

The rise in popularity of loungewear in general and the fanny pack in specific isn’t something new. sports apparel market at $105.1 billion in 2020, with an expected uptick to $113.4 billion in 2021.īelting up a fanny pack to bring along keys, a phone, a wallet and a mask when going for a walk or a quick run isn’t a far stretch from wearing yoga pants while in a Zoom meeting, after all. Bringé also mentions a Statista study that valued the U.S.
#YSL FANNY PACK PROFESSIONAL#
“With the majority of business meetings taking place in front of a notebook at home, leggings, sweatpants and loungewear have quickly become inherent pieces of our professional wardrobes,” writes Alison Bringé, the Chief Marketing Officer at Launchmetrics, in Forbes. When Did They OriginateĪlthough first appearing in the mainstream as far back as the 1980s, athleisure certainly flourished during the past year, when a global pandemic forced the world population into lockdown. The correlation between the bag and working out reflects a larger trend involving athletic wear, an industry that has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in recent years, giving rise to an entirely new style of clothing dubbed “athleisure.” The latter category refers to, in simple terms, dress-up sports wear. Jasmine Dilmanian, also a New Yorker, mentions wearing one while exercising-specifically, “a slim, flat one made of legging material.” “I’ll use one when running errands or out for a walk-I won’t wear one on a night out.” “I love to wear one when I’m active,” explains Calderone. “They’re very good for travel,” says Nabavian. Is it convenient? Yes.”Ĭonvenience seems, indeed, to be the most commonly referred-to aspect by fanny pack-wearers-a redeeming quality that might even make up for the product’s lack of style. Rachel Nabavian chimes in: “They literally highlight the fattest part of my body. “They are in no way flattering,” agrees Jamie Sopel. “For starters, they accentuate the stomach,” says New Yorker Roxanne Calderon in a group conversation about the topic among a bunch of 30-year-old straight women. Which begs the question: what makes the fanny pack so ugly to most people’s eyes? Overall, it seems like the general consensus is that, although extremely useful, the bag is anything but flattering. The steadfastness of each camp’s belief system alongside the juxtaposition between the product’s unattractiveness and its utility got me thinking: what is it about the fanny pack that folks hate? And what is it about it that some others absolutely swear by?Ī mere Google search about why people hate fanny packs unleashes a barrage of results listing reasons why you should never wear one (Nobody will have sex with you! Only uncool people wear them! They obstruct your outfit! They never look pretty!) and deep dives into what it is that makes the item so polarizing in the first place. Often referred to as a belt bag (perhaps an attempt by the lords of fashion to jazz up the product and make it more palatable), the fanny pack seems to mostly elicit two sorts of responses: people either love it or hate it. Whether donned by working mothers, men on errands or teens at concerts, the fanny pack clearly serves a purpose. And yet, although arguably the ugliest thought-of accessory in the style canon, the fanny pack is undoubtedly one of the most useful. As a matter of fact, plenty of generally-regarded-as-extremely-fashionable looks require the complete abandonment of the mere idea of comfort.īeauty is, indeed, pain-which is likely why fanny packs have always squarely fallen within the realm of the avoidable, un-pretty and un-stylish. A truth seldom accepted by the public at large: fashion and comfort don’t come hand in hand.
