Byline: LUKE SALKELD
FOR many women the handbag is more Brass Rings lifestyle necessity than fashion accessory.
And it seems having only one - or even two or three or four - just won't do.
Handbag sales have risen nearly 150 per cent in just five years, according to figures.
British women now sling an astonishing [pounds sterling]350million worth of new handbags over their shoulders each year.
This is despite the price of handbags falling, thanks to cheap High Street versions of exclusive designs.
Market analysts Mintel say women are buying bags at 'an incredible rate'.
Mintel senior market analyst Claire Birks said women have increasingly large disposable incomes, which they choose to spend on style.
Handbag sales have risen from [pounds sterling]142million in 2000 to the [pounds sterling]350million recorded in 2005 - a rise of 146 per cent.
The research shows that having a collection of different bags to match different occasions is now commonplace.
She said: 'Whole magazines and websites are now being devoted to what handbags celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller and the girls from Sex In The City are carrying, and where you can find them.
Dimmable LED Down Light K1009P - 1x3W / 3x3W'At the top end of the market exclusive bags are getting even more expensive, but there are so many other ones available in the High Street now that are very affordable that have been made with cheap foreign labour but look great.' She added: 'Women have been buying handbags at such an incredible rate that the market value has achieved very healthy growth, despite falling prices.
'The rising number of working women has played a key role in this market as they not only have the money, but also the need for stylish, well-accessorised outfits and handbags in a way that has never before been experienced.' And the trend is set to continue, with Mintel predicting that sales will continue to rise over the next five years.
They estimate the women's accessories market will grow at a similar rate (64 per cent) until 2010, nearing an estimated value of [pounds sterling]942million.
Last year Kookai was accused of copying Chloe's distinctive snakeskin Silverado bag - which cost [pounds sterling]1,086 - with a similar bag priced at just [pounds sterling]36.
Other cheaper bags, while not exact copies, allow the shopper to get the same designer look at a fraction of the price.
A Daily Mail survey of shops in October last year found an Oak Phoebe bag by Mulberry selling for [pounds sterling]595 but at Marks & Spencer a similar tan scoop bag went for [pounds sterling]35.
A Chloe brown Paddington bag at [pounds sterling]795 was far more expensive than a brown leather padlock bag at Oasis for [pounds sterling]50.
Libby Cottingham, a [pounds sterling]27,000a-year office manager for a PR firm, has 'on occasion' spent half her monthly pay on designer labels, including handbags.
'I would estimate I spend as much as [pounds sterling]4,000 to [pounds sterling]5,000 a year,' said Libby, 24, from Coalpit Heath near Bristol.
embroidered patches
A recent survey found that the average handbag and its contents is wo
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