The Balenciaga bag introduced in 2001 that became a cult item was the City bag.
Designed during Nicolas Ghesquière’s tenure as creative director, the bag broke from the rigid, highly structured handbags popular at the time. Its soft shape, distressed leather, dangling hardware and practical everyday format gave it a relaxed, rebellious character. The design was also associated with Balenciaga’s Motorcycle bag, its original name and inspiration.
The bag initially received a skeptical response inside the company because it looked too lightweight and unstructured for a luxury accessory. Its fortunes changed after celebrities and fashion insiders, including Kate Moss, were photographed carrying it. That exposure helped turn it into one of the defining “It bags” of the 2000s.
A common mix-up is confusing it with the Hourglass, Neo Classic or Le Cagole. The Le Cagole came much later and borrowed several visual cues from the earlier City design. Balenciaga revived the style in 2024 under the name Le City, closely echoing the circa-2001 original.