The demand for Telfar bags is said to have skyrocketed after Beyoncé mentioned the popular Black-owned fashion brand in her Renaissance album.
According to Page Six, the increase in demand for the sought-after bags was recorded on the day the Grammy award winner released her album. And that was somehow attributed to the 40-year-old singer mentioning the fashion brand in one of the tracks on her album.
In the Summer Renaissance song, Beyoncé sings: “This Telfar bag imported / Birkins, them s—t’s in storage / I’m in my bag.”
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The mentioning of the Black-owned brand seemingly afforded it more publicity as popular luxury resale site The RealReal confirmed to Page Six Style that its platform saw an 85% increase in Telfar bag views on July 29. That was the day the singer released her Renaissance album.
There was also a 131% increase in Telfar bag views during the weekend the album was released. “In general, we tend to see an immediate boost in demand following major pop culture references to brands or particular styles,” Kelly McSweeney, who is The RealReal’s women’s merchandising manager, told the news outlet.
“Another example was Rihanna’s iconic pregnancy announcement wearing a vintage pink Chanel down coat from the fall 1996 runway. We had two of the exact coat on The RealReal; in the weeks to follow the announcement, each sold for close to $20,000. While these moments often become memorable for brands, they’re very lucky for consignors as well.”
But The RealReal wasn’t the only platform that saw a spike in Telfar views. Per Vogue Business, Fashionphile also recorded a 47% increase in Telfar searches, page views, and “add to bag” clicks.
The popular eponymous fashion brand was founded by Telfar Clemens in 2005. The designer was born in Queens, New York to Liberian parents in 1985. The family tried to live in Liberia but had to resettle in the United States at the onset of the Second Liberian Civil War. But the designer has always spoken about being proud of his Liberian heritage.
Celebrities including Solange Knowles and Bella Hadid have been spotted holding the Liberian-American designer’s popular signature Shopping Bag. Oprah Winfrey also added the bag to her “Favorite Things” list in 2020. The bag’s huge demand and scarcity is the reason behind its “Bushwick Birkin” nickname. The bags are also sold at retail prices that range between $150 and $300.
In an effort to mitigate the setbacks customers face while trying to purchase the in-demand signature bag, the fashion house set up its Bag Security Program in 2020, Page Six reported.
“We are not about hype and scarcity,” Clemens said in a press release to announce the program. “We didn’t set out to make an impossible-to-get product. The whole point of our bag is accessibility and community.”
