How It Started

Let’s talk about the fashion item that is having a moment right now – the Fanny Pack! Yes, they might look like an awkward side pouch, they weren’t always the butt of the joke (pun intended). Thanks to a mummy found tucked away in the ice, believed to be from the ancient times, it is sure that the ice men wore bags around their waist even at that time. That means fanny packs a.k.a bum bags have been around for about 5000 years! The fanny pack of the ancient man contained an assortment of primitive tools while the romans are believed to carry a drawstring for coins and other stuff. This explains how bum bags were worn then are pretty similar to how fanny packs are used even today – a bag to keep your most important stuff always handy!

In the medieval times, the use of the accessories in general including the handy bag took a religious turn where men & women kept it for prayer beads and coins to give to the poor. Chatelaine, a chain with a set of keys hung around the waist of the woman who held the keys to the house, is believed to be the predecessor to the original first fanny pack. 

The year 1951 saw the first documentation of the word ‘bum bag’ used as a slang for the bag worn by skiers by the British which was modified by the Americans to become a waist belted bag later presumably to humiliate their British counterparts. 

Finding Glory

The Fanny Pack did not have its first red carpet moment until the 1980’s when they were seen as the perfect complimenting accessory to mom jeans and spandex and were named as ‘the hottest product of the year’. Soon after that, the Ivy league brands gave the fanny pack their approval by featuring them in their advertisements. 

But this did not completely cover the fact that most people thought that the fanny packs did look a little dorky! Even the not-so-fashion-forward Seinfeld is seen commenting on the Fanny Pack in the famous show! Although after being known for most years as a sign of dads getting lost on vacations while opening their large maps, surprise surprise! they’re cool again!

Surprise! They’re cool again!

Regardless of how you’ve seen your moms and dads wearing them in the nineties, Fanny Packs are back now more than ever. There could be multiple reasons for why Fanny Packs are becoming the rage again. One could be how everyone is nostalgic about the 90’s amongst all the other things everyone is nostalgic about. Not to mention, vintage is so much in vogue and not just in fashion but even everywhere else. The other major reason is how Fanny Packs have seen massive makeovers over a short period of time. There is just so much variety out there and so many styles to choose from. There are some brands that have modified the bum bag to become an important accessory, no matter if it’s necessary, and then there are some that even make them like they used to look originally in the early ancient times. 

Also, it is not just the variation in the design but the way the Fanny Pack is worn today. Contrary to the traditional way around the waist, it is now mostly worn across the shoulder.

Check out our contemporary variation of the Fanny Pack on www.vajor.com