Trending
FREEPORT, Maine (AP) -- L.L. Bean created it 80 years ago to haul heavy blocks of ice. Now it's a must-have summer fashion accessory.
The simple, sturdy canvas bag called the Boat and Tote is having an extended moment 80 years after its introduction, thanks to a social media trend in which they're monogrammed with ironic or flashy phrases.
New Yorker Gracie Wiener helped get it started by ordering her humble bags from L.L. Bean monogrammed with "Psycho" and then "Prada," the pricey Italian luxury brand, instead of just her name or initials, and posting about them on Instagram. Then others began showcasing their own unique bags on TikTok.
Soon, it wasn't enough to have a bag monogrammed with "Schlepper," "HOT MESS," "slayyyy" or "cool mom." Customers began testing the limits of the human censors in L.L. Bean's monogram department, which bans profanity "or other objectionable words or phrases," with more provocative wording like "Bite me," "Dum Blonde" and "Ambitchous."
Social media fueled the surge, just as it did for Stanley's tumblers and Trader Joe's $2.99 canvas bags, which were once selling on eBay for $200, said Beth Goldstein, an analyst at Circana, which tracks consumer spending and trends.
The tote's revival came at a time when price-conscious consumers were forgoing expensive handbags, sales of which have weakened, and L.L. Bean's bag fit the bill as a functional item that's trendy precisely because it's not trendy, she said. L.L. Bean's regular bags top out at about $55, though some fancier versions cost upward of $100.
"There's a trend toward the utilitarian, the simple things and more accessible price points," she said, and the customization added to the appeal: "Status items don't have to be designer price points."
The folks at L.L. Bean were both stunned and pleased by the continuing growth. For the past two years, the Boat and Tote has been L.L. Bean's No. 1 contributor to luring in new customers, and sales grew 64% from fiscal years 2021 to 2023, spokesperson Amanda Hannah said.
The surge in popularity is reminiscent of L.L. Bean's traditional hunting shoe, the iconic staple for trudging through rain and muck, which enjoyed its own moment a few years back, driven by college students.