EDF business project : manpurse

[El Diablo]

OK, everyone. This will seem like a joke post, but it's not.

One of the business ideas I have percolating in my mind right now and have alluded to is a high-end t-shirt company. The purpose of that is mainly so I can meet hot chicks and be a pseudo-celeb designer, but there is very little financial upside unless we happen to get very lucky and decide to put the effort into building a big consumer brand.

However, this idea is one that I think has an opportunity to be huge. OK, Diablo, then why the f are you posting about this great idea on this forum if it can make you so much money?

Well, because it isn't unique and countless people have had this idea and I don't think I'm any more qualified than them to figure it out, so if they have failed, I'll probably fail to.

But if I can harness the collective power of EDF, then perhaps some brainstorming can come up with some ideas that might actually work. And perhaps I can find some people with great ideas that would be interested in being involved in this project.

So, here it is.

Women have purses to carry their stuff around.

Men don't.

When I'm wearing a jacket, not a problem.

But when I'm wearing just pants/jeans/shorts + a shirt, I often want to carry the following:

keys
wallet
gum
cell
cash/coins possibly
chapstick possibly
pen possibly
business cards possibly
(for some people) cigs/lighter

Often the nicer the outfit, the harder it is to carry this stuff without it looking bulky in your clothes.

The fanny pack was attempted, but never really took hold (well, at least not long-term). Things like belt holsters for cell phones were attempted to help address this issue.

But nothing has taken off.

I think whoever comes up with the idea that makes it cool and accepted for men to basically carry around a purse will make a goldmine.

So, what needs to happen to make this happen?

[Jcrew]

1) Portable pockets that slips on the inside of the pants at the waist.

2) Pocket organizer that creates several compartments(mini-pockets) for pants with large pockets.

[Borodog]

Knapsack. Single shoulder. Stylish. Masculine.

[goofball]

I think you have to push the market down a slippery slope; men aren't going to just up and start wearing anything that resembles a purse. Something like a messenger bag seems like an OK place to start. Like a briefcase but more comfortable and with a strap. Something that's easy to reach into/open while you're wearing it. If those became popular enough they could just slowly be made smaller/more like a purse I think.

[lapoker17]

diablo - you are not going to do better design-wise, style-wise or brand-wise compared to what is out there already. if you are unaware of what's out there, then you haven't looked hard enough - there are tons of bags fitting this description. i will find them and link them if you like.

ususally, in such cases (tons of available options already), if you can create an earth-changing marketing frenzy, a unique selling proposition, an enormous differentiating edge, then you still have a shot, but i'm afraid this is not a product that lends itself well to that type of turnaround.

[IggyWH]

[ QUOTE ]
ususally, in such cases (tons of available options already), if you can create an earth-changing marketing frenzy, a unique selling proposition, an enormous differentiating edge, then you still have a shot, but i'm afraid this is not a product that lends itself well to that type of turnaround.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you had the money to get this rolling, couldn't you just pay celebs to start using them? I would think women would welcome the idea and like it, then causing normal men to buy them since they are in style and women like them.

I'm sure it's easier said than done, but I don't see it as something impossible.

[suzzer99]

Diablo, I think you just nailed your own problem. Unless you're wearing leather pants or skin-tight designer jeans, none of these things is that big that they require a purse.

Unless you're in SF or NYC, anything else generally goes in the car and only gets carried for a short distance.

Hence it's going to be pretty tough for the man-purse to take off in Kansas City. You have to convince men to purchase and wear a fashion accessory that they really don't need and most already consider pretty fruity.

A friend of mine wore a vest out one time. This was 10 years ago, in San Francisco, and we still give him crap about it occasionally. That night was one of the hardest I've ever laughed in my life. Good conversation piece with the ladies though.

[lapoker17]

[ QUOTE ]
If you had the money to get this rolling, couldn't you just pay celebs to start using them? I would think women would welcome the idea and like it, then causing normal men to buy them since they are in style and women like them.

I'm sure it's easier said than done, but I don't see it as something impossible.


[/ QUOTE ]

this is already happening with other brands - has been for many years. now, i have no specific knowledge that company x paid celeb y to carry z bag, but just as one example, prada is clearly the leader in the higher end of this product niche and they give tons of this stuff to celebs - men and women. while this manpurse area may be a nice little part of their business, it is clearly not one that has taken off despite the celeb stuff.

[nyc999]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ususally, in such cases (tons of available options already), if you can create an earth-changing marketing frenzy, a unique selling proposition, an enormous differentiating edge, then you still have a shot, but i'm afraid this is not a product that lends itself well to that type of turnaround.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you had the money to get this rolling, couldn't you just pay celebs to start using them? I would think women would welcome the idea and like it, then causing normal men to buy them since they are in style and women like them.

I'm sure it's easier said than done, but I don't see it as something impossible.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to say something similar.

It has to be somewhat stylish (leather would work) and masculine.

Once designed, there are companies you can hire whose sole purpose is to get your "swag" into celebrity gift bags - think Sundance, Academy Awards, etc.

Then it's a matter of time before your product starts showing up on celebrities, and from there, style magazines, and from there, cha-ching.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I don't see how this could ever take off. Most men carry three things only, keys, cell, and wallet. I meet very few people that carry around everything else, unless they have a gay ass manpurse.