Function as its Point of View

There’s a principle in design that feels almost radical today, despite being centuries old: objects should be beautiful because they are useful.

Not despite it.

Because of it.

The idea is often credited to the Shaker design tradition, a religious community in 18th and 19th century America known for their furniture and crafts. Their philosophy was disarmingly simple. A Shaker principle is often paraphrased as, “Do not make something unless it is both necessary and useful, but if it is both necessary and useful, do not hesitate to make it beautiful.”

It’s a surprisingly sharp lens through which to look at modern accessories, particularly bags.

Somewhere along the way, the conversation around handbags shifted almost entirely toward aesthetics. Shapes became more sculptural, colours more experimental, hardware heavier, closures increasingly elaborate. Bags began to behave less like everyday tools and more like small pieces of architecture.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Fashion thrives on experimentation. But occasionally it forgets something very basic.

A bag is meant to carry things.

Obvious perhaps, but worth repeating. Like a well-cut jacket with the right pockets, a good bag is structured around the life happening inside it. It should hold, separate and support what we carry through the day, not turn the simple act of reaching inside into a small logistical puzzle.

Design history circles back to this idea often. The American architect Louis Sullivan, who coined the phrase “form follows function,” argued that the shape of an object should emerge from what it needs to do. Purpose first, form second.

Once you begin looking through that lens, the details become difficult to ignore.

The most interesting bags balance both worlds, personality on the outside, logic on the inside. A distinctive shape, thoughtful colour combinations, a strong silhouette, all supported by proportions and compartments that make sense in everyday life.

The Shakers understood something that still feels remarkably relevant now. When function is taken seriously, beauty tends to arrive on its own. Not loud or ornamental, but calm, confident and enduring.

Much like the best bags, which rarely demand attention, yet become indispensable the moment you start using them.