Handbags on nights out are a factor of the previous as Gen Z use their underwear as a substitute
Research by Echo Falls found that more than half of Gen Z members keep their goods in their bras instead, as handbags are considered ‘old fashioned’ nowadays
Women keep their items in their bras instead, the survey found(Image: Getty Images)
Handbags on nights out may be a thing of the past – with more than half of Gen Zers choosing to keep lipsticks, bank cards and even phones in their bras instead.
Almost a third of women (28%) aged 18-29 are going out partying bag-free with 44% of under-30s calling handbags “old fashioned”, new research by Echo Falls has revealed.
Three-quarters have admitted to tucking their phone in their underwear instead, while 64% have put cards, ID, keys and lip gloss in their bras as 34% say having no handbag at all “feels freer”.
Handbags are becoming a thing of the past(Image: Getty Images)
Older generations still won’t leave the house without a handbag – with 60% of Gen Xers and Boomers using it to carry ‘everything’. But three-quarters of over-45s have noticed that handbags are vanishing from the dance floor.
Other things that Gen Zers are dropping include carrying cash, queuing outside nightclubs, asking the DJ for requests and wearing high heels.
Dancing around a handbag is now a fading tradition with 28% ditching it, along with waiting at a taxi rank, single sex nights out and bodycon dresses.
GK Barry has teamed up with Echo Falls
Even the queue‑and‑pose traditions are fading, as dancing around your handbag (28%), queuing outside nightclubs (19%) and asking the DJ for requests (19%) are increasingly a throwback.
Comfort is quietly winning, with a third (30%) saying it now beats glamour when choosing a night‑out outfit – and 81% agreeing Gen Z are the most hands‑free generation yet.
Echo Falls brand manager Taran Dhillon said: “We’ve been listening to our audience and the research clearly shows that women are ditching handbags, but no-pockets fashion is letting them down.”
Presenter and podcaster GK Barry said: “I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve gone out thinking, ‘I’m not taking a bag, I’ll be fine,’ and then five minutes later I’m stood there holding my phone, my lip gloss, my keys and somehow everyone else’s belongings as well. Women’s clothes never have proper pockets, bags ruin your outfit, and sometimes you just want to be hands-free with your friends and your drink.”
Things Gen Z are ditching on nights out
Carrying cash – 33%
Dancing around your handbag – 28%
Waiting at taxi ranks – 23%
Single‑sex nights out – 20%
Queuing outside nightclubs – 19%
Bodycon dresses — 19%
Asking the DJ for requests — 19%
High heels — 17%
Taking toilet selfies — 16%
Taking a handbag — 13%
