Projecting an image: handbag as a PR machine

Similar to personal technology devices, handbags have become integral to the "everyday carry" for many individuals, seamlessly meeting daily functional and stylistic needs. However, even handbags with limited practices continue to be highly soughtafter items. This trend indicates that handbags possess significant symbolic and aesthetic value, often surpassing functionality and drawing consumers who seek expressions of social standing, identity, and cultural significance. Although handbags have been extensively analysed within cultural and fashion studies, particularly concerning gender roles and consumer behaviour (Entwistle, 2015; Crewe, 2020), less attention has been given to handbags as strategic tools of self-presentation. Veblen's (1899) theory of "conspicuous consumption" initially presented luxury items as markers of status, while more recent research (Luvaas, 2021; Abidin, 2020)