STYLE Edit: Why the ‘easy chicness’ of Saint Laurent’s Kaia satchel – named after supermodel Kaia Gerber – is such a big hit
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello riffs off Saint Laurent’s house codes for spring, giving us micro-shorts, waistcoats, blazers and knee-high cowboy boots
You know you have made it when a high-end designer wants to name a bag after you. Such was the case for the Hermès Birkin, named after actress Jane Birkin; the Hermès Kelly, named after celebrity Grace Kelly; and the Sofia bag by Salvatore Ferragamo, after Italian screen siren Sophia Loren.
It is not just the A-listers of bygone days either. More recently, Selena Gomez, Lana del Rey, Alexa Chung and Cara Delevingne have inspired handbags for Coach and Mulberry.
Kaia Gerber joined this exclusive list with Saint Laurent’s latest signature line, the Kaia satchel.
The 18-year-old supermodel wore the light brown mini-satchel edition from the Kaia range at the Saint Laurent spring 2020 ready-to-wear show in September 2019.
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello riffed off Saint Laurent’s house codes for the season, giving us micro-shorts, waistcoats and blazers (à la Le Smoking tuxedo), and knee-high cowboy boots to stomp out gender stereotypes. The Belgian also veered into whimsical territory with headscarves and paisley print smocks, and the new Kaia bag fits between the two looks.
The “easy chicness” of the Kaia bag is a tried-and-tested formula in the Saint Laurent archives. In 1966, when the late Yves Saint Laurent started YSL’s ready-to-wear line, Rive Gauche, he stated, “Saint Laurent’s women are from harems, castles and even the suburbs; they are from the streets, subways, dime stores and stock exchanges.”
Kaia is the daughter of eighties supermodel Cindy Crawford and New York mogul Rande Gerber – not the most relatable upbringing. But her “all American girl-next-door” look makes her more accessible.