How Henry Smith Became Fashion’s Most Underrated Bag Collector

When you think about the typical traditional luxury handbag collector—flirty, fashion-obsessed, female—you’re probably not thinking of someone like Henry Smith. And yet the social media influencer—better known online as @henryhenryhenryhenryhen—is proving to be one of the most underrated bag enthusiasts on the internet. In just three short years, the affable and handsome creator has amassed an impressive (and enviable) haul, which includes not just a rare sequined Chanel purse from 1997 (in honor of the year he was born) but also a staggering laundry list of familiar names: Andiamo, Speedy, Baguette, Bonnie, and so on. And if his “bro in board shorts and a bag” persona helps destigmatize traditional ideas of who can, in fact, carry a fancy purse, then so be it.

Smith first came to fame posting more conversational, off-the-cuff videos covering a variety of topics including pop culture, politics, and his “boy lunches,” but he has long had a connection to fashion through his older sister Beatrice. “When I was little, Beatrice had always been so in tune with the world,” he told Vogue. “As her little brother, I’ve seen her appreciation for fashion and the arts, so I think it was always just a necessary part of life, through my proximity to my sister’s fascination. It just became this thing I was always around.”

However, an interest in bags, specifically, came to him through musicians and social media. “I’ve always listened to a lot of rap music, especially A$AP Rocky,” Smith said. “When I was growing up on Tumblr, all the rappers had bags and Goyard trunks.” As his TikTok account slowly amassed a following, Smith got the opportunity to indulge on designer creations.

Today his bag collection has blossomed well beyond his first purchase, a Goyard tote he scored three years ago. Now Smith not only is well-versed on the minutiae of pricey purses of all types and kinds, but has a Rolodex of where to find great vintage pieces across the globe, plus an appreciation for fashion history more broadly. Below, Smith takes us through his enviable collection, tells us how he caught the bag bug, and reveals what’s at the top of his current wish list.

Did you always have an interest in fashion?

I think it comes from my sister Beatrice. Since I was little, she’s always been in tune with what’s going on in the world. She studied French and art history in college, and then worked for museums and galleries. Just by being in proximity to her as her little brother, I’ve seen her appreciation for fashion and the arts in general.

But I grew up in San Diego, so I lived this very beach-oriented lifestyle—I’m sitting in my board shorts right now. So while I appreciate [fashion] as an art, I don’t know if it was necessarily something I actually applied to myself because, realistically, my favorite thing to do is wear board shorts and no shoes—that’s my dream.

When I graduated college, my first job was in politics. My dad is a college professor, so he knows how to dress for the occasion, and he was like, “You should go and get some tailoring, shirts, and pants that are actually meant for your body.” So I got my first-ever suit jacket, slacks, and button-up shirts. And wearing these clothes that were meant for me, fit me, and flowed, that’s when my addiction truly took form. So this life of being adjacent to the arts coupled with this newfound understanding of the beauty of wearing clothes that fit you and were meant for you…it was like, game over. That’s my long-winded answer.

So what got you interested in bags, specifically?

I’ve always listened to a lot of rap music, especially A$AP Rocky. There’s a lot of interesting people in fashion and music, like Luka Sabbat and Kerwin Frost. A lot of them, when I was growing up on Tumblr, all had bags and Goyard trunks.

What was the first handbag you bought?

I went to the Goyard store on the Upper East Side, and I got the green tote with the zipper—this was only three years ago. It was my first major purchase. I had started my TikTok—thank God—and it changed my life, for the better. I remember that I told the sales associate, “Don’t give me the box, don’t give me the bag. I don’t want any of that.” And I walked from the Upper East Side down to the Standard Hotel, where I was staying, with the bag on my shoulder, and it was transformative. I was like, I’m addicted now.

Do you have any favorites in your collection?

I hate this question because they are my children. I think my Bottega Veneta Andiamo will forever hold a special place in my heart. I use it constantly because I’m traveling all the time, so the Andiamo comes with me every single time I travel. And as it continues to get beat up and scratched and thrashed, I just love it more and more. So my love for it grows. So there’s that.

How often are you shopping for a new bag?

I don’t know if there’s much cadence or ritual to it, which is maybe for the best. My life is often dictated by whatever day-to-day things fuel my passions. So some days it comes to me in bursts, and that’s when I allow myself to dive in. But, typically, when I’m in New York for work, that’s when most of my bag shopping happens. New York is very enabling, and you have access to a lot of incredible storefronts. But I’ll also hop onto my usual vintage websites (like outfitrepeater.co) maybe once or twice a month and just see what’s going on. And I have this feeling that I get, and when I get that feeling, that’s how I know I should buy a bag. I never buy a bag just because I like it.

Tell me about that Chanel 1997 bag you posted. Where did you source it?

The 1997 Chanel is my little baby. Fashionphile is where I do a lot of my vintage shopping. One of my favorite things about the company is that it was founded and is headquartered here in San Diego—which, by the way, it has little to no identity here in San Diego, which makes me sad. But to my point earlier, it’s just part of the lifestyle here, where people are in board shorts, and there’s not a bunch of fashion going on. But back to Fashionphile; I was in LA for a meeting with their team to work on some stuff and when you go to their offices, they have tens of thousands of bags stored there. They let me go into the back, and it’s organized by brand, or designer, or color—like, holy shit. The girl who was with me asked, “What are you in need of?” And I said, “I don’t own any Chanel.” And so she took me over to the Chanel section, and there it was sitting there, this tiny little sequin bag.

She then told me it’s from 1997, which is the year I was born. I just looked at it and couldn’t believe that every single sequin was still intact—kind of like me, all my sequins are still intact. So yeah, I needed the bag.

Are you on the market for any other specific designer-era bags to add to your collection?

Honestly, all the Matthieu Blazy stuff coming out has been blowing my mind. So I have this sequined Chanel, and it’s [my] first Chanel, but I have a feeling that I need to get more. The one Chanel that has done it for me is that mint green crocodile-embossed tote. That’s the first Chanel bag I’ve ever seen that’s caused a visceral reaction in me. I also love all of Tom Ford’s Gucci bags. Those are always fascinating to me. And Phoebe Philo, her [Chloé] Paddingtons blow my mind. I really love vintage Paddingtons.

And you know what’s been catching my eye? I don’t have a [Louis Vuitton] Neverfull and would love to have one. I have a micro Speedy that’s so cute, and I have this incredible early-2000s Louis Vuitton crossbody. But yeah, I think old Vuitton bags fascinate me, like the Marc Jacobs era.

It seems you opened up a world for straight men to wear more fashionable bags out in public. How does that make you feel?

I hate being the face of straight men getting to do anything, so I will happily pass that off and deny the claim. But what I will say about straight men is that the epidemic that needs to be addressed first is men wearing pants that fit and flow and aren’t skintight. And then on top of that, removing the bulging pockets. The solve for that is to get a bag you can put everything in so your pockets aren’t bulging. So, what I will say is that where straight men can play into this is: Let’s focus on the pants and then use a bag to carry things that you could use on the day-to-day.