The original meaning of the word “purse” was a small bag for holding your money. In Britain, this definition of purse still stands and the term for a larger bag that holds more items is referred to as a handbag. Today, however, purse and handbag are considered to be the same in many countries. The recent exhibition Bags: Inside Out‘ at the Victoria and Albert Museum showed the handbag’s evolution over the last 500 years and the fact that this is far more than a simple accessory.
The short-strap shoulder bag – worn tight to the body, hiked up to right or left beneath the underarm was apparently a big success in the 1990s. According to Vogue, this type of bag is now back.
Reminiscent of a pillow or a big body sponge (some may see a broom), the exhibition’s Armani shoulder bag is made of silvery, grey-dyed raffia.
Giorgio Armani is not only a celebrated designer, a very successful businessman or a great supporter of community-based initiatives and projects. He has also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN refugee agency on a number of activities since becoming a goodwill ambassador in 2004. He and his acclaimed fashion company have made significant contributions to UNHCR’s public awareness and fund-raising efforts for refugees, particularly during emergencies, such as the ones in Afghanistan and more recently, in Ukraine. The Armani company is also donating essentials to refugees through the Italian nonprofit organization Comunità di Sant’Egidio, a faith-based organization with significant work on refugee protection and solutions, including its Humanitarian Corridors, a completely self-financed project that faith-based and other civil society organizations may want to also consider going forward.