From the first-ever women’s suit to the first-ever shoulder bag, Coco Chanel set a new style standard. She designed pieces that allowed women to feel comfortable while still looking elegant, freeing them from the restrictive corsets and impractical clutches that were customary during the pre-war period. 

When Karl Lagerfeld took over as the house’s creative director, he stayed true to Coco’s mission. Lagerfeld released the first Chanel Backpack, offering women a convenient and luxe way to carry everything they need. Keeping up with changing trends, Lagerfeld created many different takes on the backpack throughout his 36 years at Chanel: 

During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Lagerfeld concentrated on branding as a way to revive the struggling house. Guaranteeing all of his pieces were recognizably Chanel, he released backpacks that closed and secured with his new ‘CC’ logo lock. Because the locks are crafted of 24k gold hardware, which is no longer used by the house, these vintage Chanel Backpacks remain popular today.  

In Fall/Winter 2014, he released the Oh My Boy Graffiti Backpack. Crafted of nylon, which was scribbled with Chanel symbols and embellished with lanyard zipper pulls, it looked like a typical highschool student's backpack – except it was fashionably defaced by Karl Lagerfeld instead of a bored study hall friend. 

In Spring/Summer 2017, he released the Gabrielle Backpack. Named after Coco Chanel (her given name was actually Gabrielle), the bag features some of the signatures she originally introduced, but with a more modern flair. A quilted bucket bag, it cinches closed with two-toned, threaded chain straps. 

With the growing popularity of mini bags, Lagerfeld released a sized-down backpack in his Cruise 2019 collection. Called the ‘CC’ Day Backpack, its smallest version is barely large enough to fit an iPhone but definitely cute enough to earn a couple of excited squeals. 

Over the seasons, he also released a series of Calfskin leather options. From the Grained Quilted to the Smooth Chevron, he designed them to be functional but decadent, perfect for anyone who wants to commute to the office in style. 

Find one of these and many other Chanel Backpacks in our (slightly) used collection.