The fanny pack, that ’80s trend turned embarrassing tourist accessory turned music festival staple, has been hovering on the edges of full-on trend-dom for a while, but this fact just may push it over the edge: In 2017 alone, eBay sold an unprecedented 57,000 of the wearable pouches.
That’s right, 57,000 people sold – and another 57,000 people bought – fanny packs on eBay alone. And, as Fashionista notes, there’s currently another 50,188 currently up for grabs.
The impressive figure comes from the eBay’s annual Top Shopped report, which highlights various trends including “Gen-Z yellow” (as in, move over Millennial Pink), “female empowerment” (not a trend, but okay), and a renewed obsession with the Royal Family, courtesy of Meghan Markle.
The report also notes that the site sold 25,000 Champion sweatshirts (part of a larger trend towards flexing logos, perhaps? ) and 107,000 Adidas Superstar sneakers, a fad that’s been going strong for what feels like an eternity but is actually only probably about three years.
It often feels like every fashion trend – big or small, old or current – has a reference point somewhere in the Sex and the City canon, and so too do fanny packs. In season 4, Carrie rocks an epic Gucci number with a black crop top and insanely toned abs, an outfit that feels scarily relevant more than 15 years later.
In fact, Gucci’s candy-colored, waist-cinching versions, which debuted in the brand’s Spring ’18 show, may be part of the reason for the boom. Other in-the-know brands, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Alexander Wang, have recently produced fanny packs as well, and celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Kanye West have been spotted rocking them in the wild. That’s right, according to the likes of West and Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, who has also shown them as menswear, fanny packs are a fully unisex trend. Alert your cool male friends.
Despite their presence on the runway, it’s understandable why people are choosing to cop their fanny packs on resale sites. The Gucci fannysonly recently hit shelves (and cost upwards of $950), while the Louis Vuitton x Supreme ones from Fall ’17 were and still are pretty much impossible to get your hands on.
If you’re hoping to cop a designer version a la Carrie Bradshaw’s, eBay and its ilk are probably your best bet. If you don’t care about branding, the trend has already begun to trickle down to places like ASOS and Free People, where you can go hands-free for well under $100.
And while the name implies that the bags should be fastened around one’s middle (er, butt? ) area, this is 2018, and we like to innovate. If it’s not cinched at your waist Gucci-style, feel free to sling it across your chest like a crossbody bag, dangle it from your neck, or employ any of the other confusing-seeming potential choking hazards we’ve been spotting on Instagram. Just be careful.
Gucci GG Marmont belt bag ($1,290; Gucci)
This bag has the rare distinction of combining three trends: pink, fanny pack, and velvet. Could it be more 2017?
Louis Vuitton monogramcanvas pochette ($500; eBay)
Even as the demand for fanny packs waxes and wanes, that classic LV monogram will ensure this never goes out of style.
Dylan belt bag ($20; Urban Outfitters)
This bright blue hue is perfect for hands-free dance parties, which are, incidentally, the biggest advantage to fanny packs.
Clare V Fanny Pack ($259; Clare V)
All of Clare V’s cult bags are simple, beautiful, and of great quality, and this classic fanny pack looks to be no exception.
Free People Brooklyn leather pocket belt ($68; Free People)
This fanny pack – er, excuse me, pocket belt – is big enough to fit all the essentials and will go with absolutely everything.
