givenchy | the snatch bag

You don’t usually think of a handbag as something physical. Emotional, maybe. Practical, hopefully. But bodily? That is where Sarah Burton starts with the Snatch. Launched as part of Givenchy’s 2026 vision, the Snatch mirrors the architectural language of the designer’s ready-to-wear, with lines that mimic the sharp cinch of a tailoring masterpiece or the delicate curve of a bra.

The campaign, captured by the legendary David Sims, focuses on model Emeline Hoareau and the way the leather interacts with the heat of her skin. Burton’s relationship to this idea of cinching, holding and shaping has been consistent throughout her career, long before she arrived at the Avenue George V. At McQueen, she was obsessive about how garments interact with the body through tension, softness and control. At Givenchy, that thinking has already started to surface through accessories. If the Pinch bag was about how the hand meets the object, the Snatch takes that logic further, moving the object closer to the ribs.

Its ‘inside-out’ construction is perhaps the strongest link to Burton’s own creative cloud. Throughout her career, she has been captivated by the ‘guts’ of a garment, in other words, the hidden structures that give a piece its life. By revealing a contrasting nappa lining and a vibrant lunetta colour-pop only when the bag is unzipped, she is indulging in a bit of sartorial secret-sharing. It suggests that the Givenchy woman’s true vibrancy is a private luxury, revealed only on her own terms and in her own time.

 

The outer shell is crafted from a tumbled calf-grain leather that possesses a fluidity allowing it to pull and cinch against the body. The hardware provides a metallic punctuation to this softness: an organic metal chain locks into angular zipper pullers, while delicate metal feet ground the silhouette in either gold or silver.

The palette is a sophisticated mix of the sombre and the saccharine. You have the grown-up depths of aubergine, dark brown and taupe sitting alongside a spirited equestrian red and a surprisingly punchy baby pink. Available in three sizes (large, medium and small), the Snatch moves easily between hand-held clutch, a shoulder staple and a crossbody, adapting as naturally to the day as it does to the wearer.

Discover more here.

photography. courtesy of David Sims
words. Gennaro Costanzo