This Affordable Handbag Is Already 2022’s Most Popular Accessory

We're but 20 days into 2022 and already some of the most-followed influencers on Instagram are, well, influencing. We possibly weren't expecting one item in particular to surface as the year's most-wanted accessory so early on in the year but here we are, discovering that Manu Atelier's Kesme bag is big news.

The brand's shoes have been a favourite of some of fashion's most stylish women for some time now but it's the Kesme shoulder bag which is causing such a stir right now. Already, Camille Charriere, Elsa Hosk and Emili Sindlev have declared their love for it on Instagram, jazzing up their January outfits with the boxy accessory. Given that these women have a combined following of over 8.4 million people, it would hardly be a surprise if this bag soon took over your Insta feed.

Available in multiple colours, the Kesme's popularity could well be down to its size – a very Goldilocks-friendly not-too-big-not-too-small. It fits all of your essentials without feeling cumbersome, ideal for our post-pandemic return to 'normality', whatever that may look like. Having forgotten what it's like to carry a handbag every day, this is perhaps your easy way back in.

The gold chain detail is also giving major Y2K vibes (remember Marc Jacobs' chain-heavy Stam bag?), tapping into the collective nostalgia for this particular time in (recent) fashion history. With TikTok obsessing over everything from UGG boots to Butterfly motifs, there's no time like the present to evoke the spirit of 2005.

Finally, this bag is far more affordable than so many of the designer totes we see so regularly on Instagram. At £350, it's certainly an investment – particularly in January of all months – but it's one that will last forever. Just think, in 15 years time, 2037's version of TikTok will probably be telling the next generation to get their hands on a Kesme.