Year after year, this brand remains the star of the back-to-school season. Sometimes discreet, sometimes hyper-vitaminized, its iconic bag reigns supreme in the school wardrobe and has conquered all teenagers for forty-eight years. You have surely bought one for your child, or even given away the one you had at the time.
It’s the story of an almost unmatched longevity in the world of ready-to-wear. This brand known to all has marked the adolescence of almost three generations: grandparents, parents, and even our own children. We wore it to school, we showed off with it in the playground, we boasted about having a bag like our neighbor; in short, its success was such that almost everyone had it.
Like “Frigidaire” for the refrigerator or “Kleenex” for the handkerchief, one would almost be tempted to transform its brand name into an adjective. Even the French specialist label Cabaïa has not managed to dethrone it: “Cabaïa does not claim more than 2% of the school market (…) among teenagers, it is another brand which remains the undisputed arch-leader in this young segment.” (BFM TV) It appeals to younger generations without ever falling into the “uncool”. Because yes, Eastpak has not lost its popularity over the years, far from it.
You only have to ask around to understand its success. It is first of all the solidity that it promises, for an affordable price, that is mentioned. Because if its price can fluctuate according to the periods of the year, it is only downwards: count 50 to 60 euros on average to get the classic model “Padded Pak’r”. During the discount period, around thirty euros is enough to acquire it.
In terms of manufacturing, it is made from robust materials (coated canvas) and solid zippers that stand the test of time and life. You can put all the equipment necessary for our youth adventures in it, without a single seam giving way. Not surprising when you know its origins: its products were originally intended for soldiers in the American army.
Classic, but far from basic. Season after season, its fabric is adorned with multiple aesthetics. If the shape of the bag remains the same, identifiable among a thousand; its color and prints, on the other hand, are available in a variety of colors (77 colors today). The “Padded Pak’r” therefore adapts to all personalities and styles; and that is truly what seduces. Both unique and universal, it perfectly matches the identity issues of adolescence; a paradoxical period of life when we want to assert our singularity at all costs, but where we are dying to integrate and belong to a group of friends.
This apparent banality could put off more than one fashionista in search of originality. However, the label is just as popular within the Modosphere. Its secret? It uses trendy labels that occasionally reinvent the lines and contours of this bag with its iconic silhouette, giving it a trendy aesthetic beyond the classic, and giving it a more couture than practical look.
Among these trendy collaborations: Kenzo, Jacquemus and Ami in 2016, Telfar (a brand appreciated by Beyoncé) and MM6 Maison Margiela in 2022, Vivienne Westwood in 2023…
Today, it is competing with handbags with a less connoted aesthetic. With their XXL format, they are large enough to slip in school supplies, and allow both elegance and practicality.
The “Pliage” of “Longchamp” in the past, the “Margaux” of “The Row” today… Will Eastpak soon be dethroned in the playground?