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Unless the future state of our digital world is going to rid workers of laptops and commit to hologram emails, the requirements of a work bag aren’t set to change anytime soon. Ask anyone in the market for one, and it’s more than likely that – if they work in an office – the need to “fit a laptop” is priority number one. The more-than-likely second priority? That is doesn’t “look” like a work bag. JW Anderson’s Anchor tote fits the bill.
Indeed, it fits a laptop – amongst other things. The JW Anderson tote isn’t too cumbersome, and the durable leather handles make it easy to carry. As a core style of the brand, the bag has taken on multiple guises over the years – of different dimensions and finishes, including felt – but its everyday appeal has remained.
“The entry-point designer bag is becoming an increasingly rare entity within the luxury handbag space,” says British Vogue’s shopping editor Joy Montgomery, who managed to acquire a JW Anderson tote in a sale for under £400 several years ago. “Inflation, cost of living, material costs and tax hikes all play into the proliferation of four-figure price-tags, a shift that is pricing out younger consumers. JW Anderson, however, remains one of the few exceptions to the rule.” The Anchor tote swiftly became her “go-to work tote”, given it could fit a laptop, lunch box and even gym kit.
The most recent iterations of the, released as part of JW Anderson’s rebrand – which reintroduced the label as a holistic lifestyle proposition that offers collectibles and homewares alongside fashion – arrive in multiple sizes and both portrait and east-west silhouettes. The recognisable logo insignia is an extension of the smooth leather handles, the main body of the bag is made from hardwearing canvas, and there’s an internal pocket compartment to store smallables.
Models peddle it as an off-duty bag, while the Vogue editors swear by its work-ready practicality – what’s not to love?
