Trendy School Bag

[amainaledi]

I have promised DD a new school bag for when she starts secondary school in a couple of weeks. Can anyone recommend a brand that is perceived to be "cooler" than any other brand? She will have to travel some distance, so I am thinking a backpack might be best, but really don't want to saddle her with something that will embarrass her. I'm told that the kind of bag you have is "hugely important" because the school has a strict uniform policy and so bags are the only means of expressing fashion. Obviously, in the end, she is going to make the decision herself, but I'd like to be able to guide her using the wealth of knowledge from all you who have trod this path before...

WOW - I never knew that school bags could cause such emotion. It is so funny.

I got my son an ADIDAS Messenger Bag as that is what all the kids at his school use.

No problems, everyone is happy.

DD2 has a addidas messenger bag to start with.

DD1 has a totally uncool plain, practical back back. I've no idea if she gets teased for it. Unfortunately DD1 gets teased for breathing and has long since given up worrying.

Hubby and I don't like showing our brands (Big ass GAP on our chest) but we like quality goods which some are known names or can be more expensive than others. I bought dd a jacket 3yrs ago and she is still wearing it (I buy clothes slightly bigger and the girls grow really slow). I bought her a backpack (she's 8) when she was 4 and it still looks fab.

I'm not sure what feminism entails but I went to a top academic school (tried to prettied up our uniform via our accessories/book bag/shoes), was one out of two female in a few of my engineering and programming classes, was three out of how many guys in my old IT jobs, paid half the bill and if I have to, I can most likely change oil after watching a few YouTube videos. And I love pretty things (prefers it actually), hand bags included.

As for bags in high school... Kids have all sorts of growing up issues on top of studying and being good kids that the last thing I want to add to that pile is the wrong school bag. If the right £30 bag, or even £100, is going to make my kid blend in and not stand out so she can focus on studying and growing up, I will get her one. I know my kid and buying her a "brand" bag is not going to spoil her or turn her into a brand victim.

Now I know why DS is refusing a backpack that I keep recommending for him!! I see a few trendy looking kids with Superdry messenger bags.

Warning - Old thread that's been dug up for some reason
Yes so any bags mentioned will be so "yesterday"

No Gola/adidas ares till in for boys where i teach.

Record bags are becoming popular in our area.

Sorry to say, my 2 are going with the same backpacks they had since Christmas from their Gran, can't remember the make, but they have a variaty of skull designs either in the fabric or embroidered on. If they feel after 1 term they are "uncool" they can choose (within a price bracket) what they want from Gran for christmas this year. With 2 of them, and their uniform, shoes etc coming to almost £200 each, i am not paying out for an uneccesary new school bag when the ones they have are still in good nick! [so there! emoticom]

I've just bought dd a back care backpack as recommended by the school.

OP, I hope you don't think I'm being rude but I take it your dd is 11? And she has to walk a fair bit with a heavy bag? For goodness sake pls get her a backpack and make sure it's a good one. Those messenger bags are terrible for growing children's backs. In my mind looking after your child's back is WAY more important than having the 'right' bag. Yes peer pressure, yes they want to fit in and be like their friends etc....well they can do that in a million different ways rather than compromise their health. And if more parents stood their ground, we wouldn't have the problem of some bags being cool or uncool.

Dd2 didn't go to school until y9 as she was HE'd till then, so I was fairly paranoid about her school bag, lol! Bought her a cheap one from Paperchase with the promise of a new one when she wanted one. The zip broke on it before Christmas, and she started using her plain navy Nike backpack. She said she had only seen one other girl in her year with a backpack before then, but in the next two terms several girls started using them! She fancies a new bag for y10, but says she definitely wants another backpack.

Just got ds an adidas messenger bag - is a bit bigger than the Gola etc ones which seems useful - as a result of sending him off to look at bags whilst we waited in a long slow SportsDirect queue ...

Dd has said no to a backpack this year. She has chosen a pink and black Paul frank bag. No idea if it's 'in' or not though. Hopefully she won't decide it's not cool enough. Ds has his old Ben 10 back pack but he's only 6.

DD (Y9) had a Gola bag last year, which she says is broken She has just upgraded to a Dunlop Gola-style bag. She carries every schoolbook she owns in it every day and takes another bag for her sports kits

DS (Y7) will be taking his NY Gola-style bag, but I'm hoping he will upgrade to one of those huge sports bags!

quick warning.

if you buy anything off Surfdome.com tick the no emails button.

They send out advertising emails every other day.

they also had DD2s Xmas present in stock when no one else did.

Oh God, I've just been trailing round town with dd (y10) looking for a bag that satisfies us both. She wanted a £35 one from River Island that wasn't quite A4 size, no separate compartments inside and almost certainly not waterproof. I said 'no way.'
She then vetoed every other bag I pointed out.
Eventually, out of weakness, I succumbed to a £9 thing from Primark. We'll be lucky if it lasts her the first week, but at least it won't cost the earth to replace.

Was not cool at school
Was v cool at (separate) sixth form
I have v cool job now so people tell me that pays the bills well
The difference was the point at which I became comfortable with stuff, be it right bag shirt shows etc
Not necessarily the trendy opt but the one I wanted, sometimes v trendy sometime not
If you can do stuff to help dc start secondary school blending in for no other reason than choosing bag a over bag b then do it!

Btw I now have too many designer bags... School was only starting point
Clearly bread I'm not aspirational or academic