Dooney & Bourke Has Potential to Make A Comeback

Think Piece: Bring back the Dooney & Bourke Y2K bag, now!!

WILL DOONEY & BOURKE BOOMERANG BACK INTO MILLENNIALS' LIVES AND BECOME A STAPLE FOR GEN Z?

When I was growing up, Dooney & Bourke was my mom and grandma’s go-to handbag. It was affordable and stylish, and to be honest, it may have been the first affordable luxury purse that my mom gifted me (see photo below for reference).

That purse gave me a sense of empowerment; I always felt like an IT girl when I wore it—even at 11 years old and a tomboy. Had I known that I would grow up to love a cute shoulder purse or mini bag, I would have kept that D&B bag forever.

But there’s one thing D&B hasn’t cracked, and that’s how to stay relevant and evolve as a brand without losing the integrity of its brand. I’ll bet a dollar that D&B’s audience comprises 35-45-year-old women who are middle class or have a family. However, because we all know what’s old becomes new again—hence Gen' Z’s obsession with Y2K, flip phones, and Polaroid cameras—maybe Dooney & Bourke has the potential to hang with the big bag brands like Coach.

HOW COACH LANDED IN THE CLOSETS OF GEN Z AND MILLENNIALS

The D&B brand isn’t a household product like its competitor, Coach (but I guess this depends on who you asking—bring in Gen X). While I hate to put two iconic brands against each other, there’s something in Coach’s formula that D&B can’t quite crack. Coach is an affordable brand known for its dupe-like bags—a large part of their marketing and consumer purchases. Like D&B, Coach was a brand our grandmas used to own, but they’ve mastered transitioning as generations do.

In my opinion, the Tabby Pillow bag is the purse that put Coach back on the map (comment below if you disagree). The Tabby bag is very popular, and Coach continues to release new designs. Recently, Coach created a new look and feel for the Tabby bag, and it’s rumored to be a dupe for the Chanel Classic bag.

At one point, buying a fake or even a dupe was looked down upon. However, with consumer purchasing becoming younger and younger and Gen Z desiring luxury items, dupe culture allows them to sport a luxury look-a-like without spending thousands of dollars. According to Morning Consult, most U.S. adults don’t view duping as a major problem for companies, suggesting it’s a safe topic that brands should feel free to activate around, especially on social media.

Overall, Coach is doing what it needs to do to keep up as an affordable luxury brand and stay in the minds of consumers—and they are doing so across all generations. We believe Dooney & Bourke has the potential to do the same.

WHAT CAN DOONEY & BOURKE DO TO GET YOUNG PEOPLE’S ATTENTION

We’re not saying that D&B needs to regard itself as a dupe brand, but it needs a new angle in order to be the next big IT brand. D&B doesn’t need to copycat Coach’s marketing efforts, but they may want to consider new designs and a different audience.

Much like Coach, Dooney & Bourke has the opportunity to market to multiple generations. Aside from creating brand persona profiles, we’d outlined three point that D&B may double click into to be a part of fashion / accessory brands consumers love.

Explore New Designs

If you know Dooney & Bourke from your mom or grandmom, then you probably can see that there hasn’t been a big difference in the design/look-and-feel of the brand. While many consumers can appreciate the classic looks, it may be time for D&B to explore new colorways and shape designs. One consideration D&B can look into is an influencer or creator who sits at the interaction of design and culture.

Example: JoeFreshGoods x Adidas

But maintain the quality of the products

Consumers love an affordable bag with luxury quality. While consumers seemed to have drifted away from D&B, the quality of the bags didn’t. While Dooney & Bourke continue to explore and invade the spaces of young consumers, they should aim to maintain the standard of their bag construction. Additionally, highlighting the design + quality of the bags may impact how consumers view the brand.

Lean Into Relevant Influencers to Ignite Excitement

But if design and quality aren’t the answers for D&B, leaning into an elite set of influencers is the next best answer. Hermes is the perfect example of this; they kept the classic look of a Hermes Birkin and penetrated the Gen Z and Zennial purchase bubbles. Influencers that have the potential to get the word out are Monet McMichael, Clarke, and Eni.