MESSI JUST STEPPED OUT WITH A ‘BIRKIN’ BAG, BUT HE’S NOT THE FIRST ONE TO DO SO.

Boys and their Hermès toys.

September 3, 2025

Handbags didn’t begin life as “for her” accessory. For centuries, they were unapologetically his.
In Renaissance Europe, men tucked coins, documents, and more into small leather pouches. Soldiers slung satchels, doctors hauled sturdy leather holdalls, and aristocrats carried purses embroidered to impress. The switch came late in the 19th century, when men’s clothing embraced pockets and women’s fashion leaned ornamental. Bags were rebranded as feminine—decorative, dainty, domestic—even as they remained practical. But history, like style, always circles back, and modern men aren’t shying away from flaunting some serious arm candy.

This week, Lionel Messi arrived at the Argentinian team’s training camp with a headline-making Hermès bag in tow. Priced at a whopping $65,000, Messi’s Hermès ‘Cargo HAC Birkin 40’ bag put him under the style spotlight. While the star footballer made a triumphant statement with his handbag, he is hardly the first one to do so. As Messi’s photos with the bag make rounds on social media, we are taking a look back at all the chic men who been bold enough to carry an Hermès handbag before.