Milena Martins-Alexandre Published September 4 2026 At Cartier’s Paris flagship on Rue de la Paix during July’s Haute Couture Week, guests were expecting to see the brand’s latest high jewellery collection. Instead, about a dozen purses of various shapes went on display, each embellished with at least one precious gemstone. The purses form part of the Cartier Soir collection, the company’s latest venture into accessories.

Cartier is better known for its watches and high jewellery, but it has also been fusing handbags with jewels since 1906. In recent years it has expanded production of jewelled handbags, just as other established jewellers such as Bvlgari and Buccellati, as well as emerging designers, are also increasing their offerings of accessories. The jewellers are expanding into handbags at a time when jewellery and bags are expected to outperform clothing, despite a multiyear downturn in luxury goods.

Mc Kinsey’s The State of Fashion 2026 report forecast sales of handbags would post compound annual growth of 6.1 per cent to 2028, while jewellery would rise 5.4 per cent over the same period, both outperforming an expected increase of 4.4 per cent for clothing. The report also noted that bags and accessories and jewellery were “valued as a canvas for individuality and signifier of taste” as well as performing strongly in the resale market. While longer-term forecasts for the handbag category remain positive, the luxury segment is struggling: sales have fallen almost 10 per cent from their 2023 peak, according to Bain & Company.

Handbags are also considered to be a more functional entry point for customers looking to try brands without committing to the significantly higher cost of high jewellery, which is typically worn less frequently. “Handbags make jewellery brands more accessible and less threatening, a bit like silk scarves and ties make Hermès more approachable,” says Luca Solca, global head of luxury goods at Bernstein. He adds that they mainly aim to “appeal to aspirational consumers, some of whom may then graduate into the jewellers’ core offer”. A bag from the Cartier Soir collection Cartier’s history with handbags as a non-core product embodies this approach. “Our handbags complement our jewellery and watches as a different expression of the same Cartier style,” says Arnaud Carrez, the company’s chief marketing officer, adding that Cartier had been making accessories under the leadership of former creative director Jeanne Toussaint in the 1920s.

For jewellers, handbags can also offer attractive margins, says Susanna Nicoletti, an independent luxury consultant and author, providing another incentive to expand in the category. But she cautions that the opportunity is not the same for every jewellery house. “Handbags are just a brand extension for jewellery brands but, if the brand is not strong per se, the risk is only to dilute its power and to pollute its image,” she says. Nicoletti argues that jewellers should keep their focus on their core business, developing leather goods as a niche offering rather than allowing them to become central to the brand.

Some content could not load. Check your internet connection or browser settings. Bvlgari is among the established jewellers increasing its focus on the category.

In 2024, it appointed Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou as its first creative director of leather goods and accessories. “Having a dedicated creative director reflects the ambition we have for this category,” says Mireia Lopez Montoya, managing director of the accessories division, adding that Katrantzou was also chosen for her affinity with the brand, both aesthetically and through their shared Greek heritage. Bvlgari, which has been making jewelled handbags since the 1950s, launched a campaign in January for its Icons Minaudière collect...