High school bag! What's in fashion?

[DocusDiplo]

My DD will be starting high school and needs a new bag (and pencil case!).

I remember (a decade or three ago) I was desperate to have whatever was popular. I may just start her off with a cheap bag and let her develop likes and dislikes. But is there anything that is trendy at the moment so I can steer her that way (to save waste).

When I was in Year 7 record bags (square, over the shoulder ones) became very popular and then I think I just wanted an Adidas rucksack and a drawstring PE bag from JD Sports.

Oh and I'm not especially into fashion and I won't be pushing her into trends or brands - I just remember being forced to buy "practical" items as a child and I hated them so much and stopped using them as soon as I could. I don't want to waste money on that for DD. Also, it's fun :)

My daughter is going into year 10 now, she used to use backpacks from Pink but the last year she has changed to a large handbag basically. She usually picks on she likes from river island or the like. They don’t look the most practical but it’s large enough to fit all her books in and the majority of her friends use similar.

Wait until you get onto school shoes! Absolute nightmare!!

DD started with a backpack (Superdry I think) but towards the end of Y8 switched to a giant handbag.

School shoes we've had no problem with so far! 😂

Ooh a giant handbag, but that's not good for shoulders! Ooh god, shoes, yes, I forgot. Kickers were in fashion when I was young! I'd better read the uniform policy.

I just found this too but can't link from my phone sorry: www.mumsnet.com/swearsby/best-school-bags-for-secondary-school

Our school has rules.

Back pack only.
No logos/brands obvious.
Black or navy.

My 12 year old step son has a hype backpack but not sure if they are still the trend.

Kanken here. Eyewateringly expensive. DD wanted a pink one but we settled on navy amd it is still going strong a few years later.

Local trends are so important though. Keep an eye out for roving teenagers and see what they’re carrying!

Oh I remember when I was a teen is was those big zipped black bags by Kookai/Morgan/French Connection. Bonus points if you brought your PE kit in in a separate pink Jane Norman carrier bag thingy.

Mine both have Kanken. Expensive but hard wearing.

And don't get in the habit of replacing the bag every year to "keep up". If she settles on a pricier branded bag then it lasts til end of Y9.

She can then have a new bag for Y10 and 11.

Ooh a giant handbag, but that's not good for shoulders!

A lot depends on whether they have easily accessible lockers and how they deal with text books but, on the whole, I agree.

However, I remember being a teenage girl 😂

DD wanted the Fjällräven Känken back pack but it has a large/obvious logo which is against school uniform rules so she settled for the Fjällräven Re-Känken Which is completely black including the logo. I got it for £76 from AllSole using a discount code.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz Oh my gosh, yes! I remember those! I wasn't sophisticated enough for those, I had khaki bags and anti war badges all over mine. Oh memories.

Thanks for tips people, good point about not having a new one every year. I've just offered my fake Kanken one and been shouted at: "I'm not into brand mum, I'm not that type". Jeez!

I'm not into brand mum, I'm not that type

love it

Dd currently has a superdry backpack. Black polka dot!

Unless there were tears, I'd be steering her away from a handbag, as that fucks up their backs/shoulders/neck pain etc.

My ex dp had the immortal shame of being bought a white backpack going to secondary which his mother then washed with something red so he had to go to school with a pink backpack. He was bullied for it and I don't think he has recovered yet! Lol

If she's not label conscious yet, I'd let her choose a backpack from Amazon. Try not to interfere haha.

For those of you who say Kanken, there’s a really good sale on here at the moment. Much less eye watering!

backpack.rritepack.com/index.php?main_page=category&cID=1

Same ex dp on the subject of footwear, had a pair a cheap Primark runner boots (high top things?). Everyone else had Air Jordans and he was nicknamed Shaq Whiteboots after Shaqeel (Sp?) O'Neill - basketball player - his surname was O'Neill. Again, he hasn't recovered from that trauma either!

I get you OP though - my mother was the same - everything had to be practical and the most UNfashionable items she could find. I swore I wouldn't do that with mine, so I indulge dd's love of labels now. She's particularly conscious of labels as her friendship group all appear to be very affluent (we're not), so even skincare is a 'thing' now. Her best friend travels between the US and here as Dad lives in the US, so gets all top range skincare in duty free and dd is aware of that. But she's not greedy at all mercifully. She goes mid-range.

I'm not into brand mum, I'm not that type

Ah, I could hear the disdain and angst in that!

Not a handbag! They break and you can hardly fit anything in them and they look ridiculous (only in my opinion!).

DD has a Police rucksack, most of the kids in her school do.

Just looked at the kanken sale as I’ve bought in past and wanted to again but it looks like it’s a site selling fake ones.
Totally ok if anyone still wants to buy but just thought I’d say,

Yes the link given above seems like a fake site. So you'll spend your money but get nothing.

The classic Longchamp handbags are very popular for girls in our area of Belfast. For younger girls just starting secondary school it’s usually Roxy, Vans or Hype backpacks.

Ah, sorry about that. I thought it seemed like a good sale 🤦🏼‍♀️