It has been 25 years since Balenciaga’s Le City bag was made commercially available – but it almost didn’t make it past the prototype stage. Anyone familiar with the slouchy, logo-less Le City, designed by then-creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, might not be aware of its unusual trajectory: Kate Moss was a catalyst for bringing it out of the atelier and into the real world, after she reportedly fell for a bag Ghesquière made in 2000. Originally named Le Lariat, only a handful were made in the first instance, given to Moss and other women in the designer’s inner circle. It was subsequently coined Le Motorcycle, then Le First and finally Le City, becoming a hallmark of his tenure for the house – every iteration of which is housed in its protected (and extensive!) archive.
The Le City shunned Noughties logo mania in favour of tactility and shape; bringing to life a bag version of a motorcycle jacket made from crinkled Arena leather, complete with angular zippers, trailing leather tassels, whipstitched handles, buckled hardware and conical studs. In lieu of overt branding, which was instead tucked away and stamped on an internal pocket, Ghesquière conceived a bag that would go on to become instantly recognisable for its visual cues, rather than lettering emblazoned across the side.
Today, marketing campaigns and seeding are common practice for when a brand introduces a new product, but the Le City circulated organically via its original coterie of carriers, including Gisele Bündchen, Paris Hilton, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Chloë Sevigny and Nicole Richie, among others. The organic advertising paid off in the fledgling years, and the Le City only featured in a single campaign, shot by David Sims in 2006.
As for its legacy today? Le City remains a go-to for supermodels, celebrities and fashion insiders alike, and has been reworked by multiple creative directors over the years. Demna (who has since departed to head up Gucci), re-released the Le City several times during his tenure: the Neo City arrived in 2020, then the Le Cagole in 2022, and in 2024 he revived the Le City once again, seeding it out to none other than its original champion, Ms. Moss.
The Le City remains a key style and permanent fixture in the brand’s accessories arsenal, available in various shapes and sizes and a plethora of shades, like punchy azalee pink, berry or “love” red, blue-grey and espresso. To mark 25 years since its inception, the brand also released a collaboration with Damien Hirst, which sees a limited-edition run of the Le City line decorated with the artist’s bold motifs, under the fitting portmanteau, Damienciaga.
A renewed appetite for all things Y2K has propelled the Le City into It-bag territory, attracting a new fanbase, many of whom would have been in their infancy when it first debuted. And it’s not just the new versions that people have been keen to buy: listings for vintage Le Citys have spiked in recent years. A well-worn Balenciaga Le City is desirable, as the weathering only adds to its charm. Erica Wright, founder of fashion sourcing network Sourcewhere, previously told “This style ages particularly well, as the patina of the leather does look better over time.” She added that its signature blackened hardware can also “take more scratches that aren’t easily as noticeable compared with polished hardware.”
This is a handbag with enduring nostalgic appeal that shows no signs of waning. And, who knows, maybe newly-appointed creative director, Martine Rose, will inject the French top handle with a dose of London energy.
