$20 luxury: Uniqlo's "Millennial Birkin" is popular in Europe and the United States

Why do young people love Uniqlo more than luxury goods? Why can the "Millennial Birkin Bag" capture the hearts of young people?

Uniqlo's $20 'Millennial Birkin' is a hit.

As the summer heat wave gradually sweeps across the streets of Europe and the United States, an affordable shoulder bag from Uniqlo has unexpectedly set off a hot trend in Europe and the United States. It has a resounding name - "Millennial Birkin", which can be translated into Chinese as "Millennial Generation Birkin Bag".

The bag, affectionately known as the "dumpling bag" in China, is priced at just 99 RMB.

However, in Europe and the United States, it has become the darling of fashionistas and frequently appears on the streets. Whether shopping, partying or traveling, it can become the focus of attention and perfectly integrates with various styles of clothing.

This bag has captured the hearts of a large number of young people from the millennial and Generation Z generations because of its lightness, practicality and low price.

In May alone, searches for "uniqlo birkin" and "millennial birkin uniqlo" surged by more than 5,000%. This number reflects how popular this bag is. In fact, in the past one to two years, this bag has sold out at least seven times, which shows its popularity.

On TikTok, a large amount of content about this "Millennial Birkin Bag" has emerged under the tag #uniqlobag. From fashion bloggers' outfit displays to ordinary users' daily life sharing, this bag has become a fashion item for the younger generation to express their own style and attitude towards life.

In fact, this is not the first time this bag has been popular. Its first popularity can be traced back to 2022.

1. TikTok is the new Birkin for millennials

In 2020, Uniqlo launched this shoulder bag. With its simple design, practical functions and affordable price, this bag quickly gained favor among consumers in the Asian market. However, it was far from being as popular as it is today.

In 2022, the turning point of destiny quietly arrived.

TikTok blogger Caitlin Phillimore-Price released a video in which Caitlin demonstrated the bag's capacity. She took out snacks, keys, mobile phone, wallet, headphones, etc. from the bag one by one, which amazed people.

The video quickly went viral, quickly racking up over a million views, as countless people were attracted by the practicality and value for money of this affordable bag.

Uniqlo keenly captured this opportunity and quickly shared Caitlin's story on its official website. The blogger became a free spokesperson for Uniqlo.

Subsequently, Uniqlo took advantage of the opportunity to upgrade the product and further maintain the popularity of the bag by launching new colors, different fabrics and custom embroidery options. Consumers were attracted by the versatility and fashion sense of the bag and shared their experience on social networks. In 2023, a video posted by TikTok user shirleyye_ showing the details of the bag caused another craze and received more than 70,000 likes.

Today, the Millennial Birkin has become one of Uniqlo's most successful products, with many fans around the world. Kanoko Takenokuchi, Uniqlo's global merchandise director, said that to this day, the bag is still one of the best-selling products in many markets.

2. The return of stylish and practical small bags

The popularity of the Millennial Birkin is directly related to the bag’s features, especially the fact that it meets the market demand for a Y2K retro style.

In recent years, the Y2K style has made a strong comeback, leading the change of fashion trends. Y2K is known for its bright colors, metallic textures and bold designs.

In the Y2K style of dressing, small handbags have become an iconic accessory, which not only embodies the light and fashionable attitude, but also reflects the pursuit of practicality by contemporary young people.

Prada’s 2020 reissue of its 90s nylon bag is the epitome of the Y2K-style revival.

This new series, called Re-edition Re-Nylon, quickly won the favor of the fashion industry and consumers with its retro yet modern design, and was named the best-selling bag of the year by fashion search engine Lyst in 2022.

Uniqlo's "Millennial Birkin" bag borrows some of its design from this trend, but also makes its own twist.

It has been designed as a crossbody shoulder bag with a larger capacity, which not only maintains the lightness of a small bag, but also enhances its practicality. This bag uses durable yet lightweight fabrics, making it easy to carry even when it is fully loaded.

These features free up consumers' hands, allowing them to walk, browse their phones or complete other tasks that require both hands more freely.

Especially in the hot summer, people tend to choose light clothing instead of carrying heavy bags. This messenger bag from Uniqlo perfectly meets these needs.

Overall, this small bag fills the gap between large bags and micro mini bags. It is not as bulky as a large bag, but not as spacious as a micro bag.

At the same time, because it draws on the Y2K style, this bag is both practical and fashionable.

Its clean lines and neutral tones make it easy to pair with a variety of outfits, whether it's casual jeans and a T-shirt or a more formal business look, this bag will blend in perfectly and show the wearer's unique taste.

In addition, UNIQLO also provides a variety of color options, allowing consumers to choose according to their own style and preferences, further demonstrating their personalized fashion attitude.

3. Consumption downgrade, the victory of high cost performance

A McKinsey report shows that consumer optimism about the strength of the U.S. economy fell in the second quarter of 2024, reaching its lowest level since the end of 2023. High inflation has reduced the purchasing power of many households, and consumers have begun to pay more attention to cost-effectiveness and tend to buy lower-priced goods.

It is not difficult to understand the background reasons for the popularity of the "Millennial Birkin Bag".

The name "Millennial Birkin" is actually a self-deprecating joke, which directly compares the Hermès Birkin bag - a luxury bag worth tens of thousands of dollars, with the Uniqlo bag that only costs $20.

Some people jokingly call this a "$20 luxury product." Behind this cost-effective choice is the redefinition of consumption by millennials and Generation Z.

First of all, the design of this bag conforms to the current popular "no logo" concept and minimalist style. It has no conspicuous brand logo and is presented in simple lines and colors, emphasizing leisure and practicality.

The spacious interior space, lightweight body and practical multifunctional pockets are all the notable features of this bag.

Its distressed texture and plain shape reject the concepts of luxury and novelty, while its shape and design are more suitable for a casual lifestyle, easily accommodating a mobile phone, wallet and even a large water bottle.

Secondly, this bag is a reflection of the younger generation no longer blindly pursuing expensive brand names, but paying more attention to the actual value of products and personal real needs.

Amid the trend of consumption downgrade, luxury goods are also facing difficulties in Europe and the United States.

Luxury spending fell 15% in November from a year earlier, according to U.S. credit card data from Barclays and Citigroup.

Last year, LVMH, which owns brands including Dior, Fendi and Givenchy, reported in its third-quarter earnings in October that its sales had fallen after years of growth.

On the other side of the playing card, Tume and Shein are sweeping the US market.

Under such circumstances, young people began to re-examine the value of luxury brands and reflect on whether they really need those expensive luxury goods.

Compared with the previous generation, millennials and Generation Z pay more attention to the comfort and leisure of life. They are more inclined to choose products that can reflect their own personality and meet their life needs, and are no longer overly obsessed with luxury goods.

The end result of all this is that " brand-name bags are aging faster, and casual cool is becoming more popular faster. "

The high cost-effectiveness of the product itself, consumption downgrade and the boost of social networks have made Uniqlo's Millennial Birkin bag a hit in Europe and the United States.

So how is this bag doing in China? If you search for notes on Xiaohongshu, you will find that this bag is also very popular, but not as popular as in Europe and the United States.

The reason behind this is the difference in consumption environment between the two. The American millennials grew up in the brand era, where a $20 shoulder bag is already very cost-effective, while the Chinese millennials grew up in the "more era", where a 99-yuan shoulder bag is no longer uncommon. At most, it is not expensive, but it cannot be said to be very cost-effective.

In the above Xiaohongshu notes, there is a 29 yuan alternative to Uniqlo's 99 yuan dumpling bag, which is very telling.

While the US market is replacing the Hermès Birkin with the Millennial Birkin, we are replacing the 99 yuan dumpling bag with the 29 yuan "Putian bag".

References:

MarketWatch "What Uniqlo's 'millennial Birkin' bag going viral again says about shoppers right now"

The Guardian《How Uniqlo's £15 crossbody bag conquered the world》

Author: Xunkong

Source: WeChat public account " Xunkong's Marketing Revelation" (ID: xunkong2005)

This article was originally published by @寻空的銷启录on Operation Party. Any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The title image is from Unsplash, based on the CC0 agreement