Small Leather Goods: 2007 Key Retail Trends

• Small leather goods remained flat to slightly higher in terms of sales, receiving a boost from techno-related products—primarily for iPods and the new iPhone. Manufacturers offered a range of fashion products from covers to cozies at all pricepoints. This gadget-based subcategory of small leathergoods particularly appealed to junior and contemporary customers. And just as the gadgets themselves are constantly updated, so are their subsequent accessories (depending on size/scale and function).



• Minibags still sold well, especially among junior and contemporary consumers, but were at times outpaced by the ongoing oversized trend in handbags. Wristlets also stood out as popular silhouettes, and in some instances, consumers even appropriated larger-sized wallets as clutches.



• Other best-selling SLG items included French wallets and coin purses, travel sets (including coordinating passport cases and luggage tags) and business card holders.



• While leather remains the number-one material in SLGs, a patent leather finish (on leather or vinyl) was more popular than ever this year. Still, an abundance of microfiber, PVC and other fabrics were readily available as well, And provided consumers with plenty of choices.





• Textured and embossed leathers (wovens, croco and snake) continued within the classification, as did hardware embellishments, logos and motifs.



• Black continued as the top-selling color in SLGs, although consumers also favored chocolate brown, red and assorted metallics (again, as popularized by handbags). Another (unexpectedly) popular color for SLGs was green, with shades ranging from key lime to deep forest.



• Coin purses, key fobs and cell phone covers remained whimsical in terms of design, with themes such as animals, fruits and the like.