And why this brand should make a comeback
I’ve been in the bag world for so long that I remember specific brands that were more under the radar but experienced insane hype in a way that new-age designers can’t quite understand. One such brand was Gerard Darel, and it delights me to share that it still exists today.
However, the brand isn’t at the same status when I was first introduced to it. Rewind back to 2008, when our site was young, the obsession with bags was still strong. Gerard Darel was not only a PurseBlog and PurseForum fan favorite, but celebs were spotted with the bags all the time as well. And the most exciting and difficult part was actually tracking down a bag for yourself.
As the brand is based in France, and in 2008, believe it or not, online shopping was still in its infancy, being able to purchase a Gerard Darel bag in the US meant finding small boutiques that had a handful of bags and making sure you got it right when it dropped.
Two of the stores (Delcina and ShopRumor) are now defunct, which is sad because I liked supporting a small business that had its ear to the ground and knew of up-and-coming trends and designers. Side note: Have you even heard of those two shops?!
Fast forward to 2025, Gerard Darel is no longer at its constantly-sold-out-can’t-track-down level of notoriety, but it still exists. It exists at a time when prices across the board are skyrocketing, and Gerard Darel’s prices have only gone up slightly (especially considering their starting point).
Let’s put this in perspective: in 2010, when Gerard Darel’s famed 24H bag finally hit Bloomingdales.com, it retailed for $399. Today, the price is $695. That only equates to a 74% increase. In comparison, a Chanel Classic Flap in 2010 was $2,850, and today costs $10,800. That is a 297% increase in the same time frame.
