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A sharply suited attorney bursts into the courtroom, striding with purpose down the aisle before stopping at the accused’s table. The lawyer slams a briefcase on the desk, pops it open with vigor and pulls out sheaths of papers that he boldly waves to the judge, saying “I have new evidence that will clear my client!”

We’ve watched this scene in movies and TV crime shows. The briefcase can be a major accessory in a dramatic moment. It can hold the valuable details of a mega business deal, the numbers in a contract, a real estate closing or the contents of a will. But in recent years, the once ubiquitous vessel has faded away, replaced by the softer, roomier and hands-free backpack. What became of the briefcase?

“I had a brown leather saddle briefcase. It was the type that had a flap that folded over. It had a magnetic closure but had two buckles to make sure it stays closed. I thought I was a professional in the world, so I needed a briefcase,” says Tim Murphy, CEO and president of North State BIA and Comstock’s editorial advisory board member. “But then, I gravitated back to what worked well for me when I was in college, and that was a backpack. I carry a backpack everywhere now.”

Briefcases, or budgets as they were called in the 14th century (derived from the Latin word bulga, or bag), have been around since the Roman Empire, when soldiers would carry personal items in a leather bag made from calf or goat skin called a loculus. In the 17th century, clothes didn’t have pockets, so men needed something to carry their paperwork in. The 19th century saw the start of the Industrial Revolution when people began to travel more often, while 1950 ushered in the “Mad Men” era of corporate businessmen in the cutthroat world of Wall Street. Luxury brands entered the market in the 1980s with Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton, making high-end, sophisticated briefcases. 

But The Wall Street Journal declared the briefcase dead in 2007.

What happened? 

We entered the world of hoodie-wearing tech execs, and style went out the window. Look at any image of the working masses ascending the steps off a New York City subway, and all you’ll see are a sea of backpacks. The briefcase is officially in decline.

I write this as a briefcase aficionado. I was so excited to get my first job as a newspaper reporter in the New York City region that I bought a beautiful, brown soft leather briefcase with a strap I could sling over my shoulder when I went to a city council meeting or news conference. It was followed by a luxurious cordovan leather bag, a gift from my mother-in-law, that I used in Los Angeles as a reporter for The Associated Press covering criminal courts, the Oscars, Emmys, Olympics and the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Once I became a working mother, I switched to a tan cloth one from Land’s End with multiple compartments that could fit all the items a woman (and mom) hauls around with her for a day at work.  It was a sad day when that flexible bag finally got worn down to frayed edges and straps.

The advent of laptops saw workers changing from briefcases to hands-free backpacks, messenger bags and totes. Ryan Douglas Hammonds, owner of R. Douglas Custom Clothier in downtown Sacramento, carries a stylish briefcase for his laptop, iPad, measuring tape and tailoring pins. He says the requirements of the briefcase changed with technology.

“We’re carrying less and less papers, less and less binders. We’re carrying a very thin Macbook Air that’s lightweight, and guys can just put in a sleeve,” says Hammonds, whose store used to make custom leather briefcases. 

For Comstock’s recent young professionals photo shoot, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of our honorees, Vidhu Shekhar, holding a briefcase. And he works in tech for Microsoft!

“For me, it’s mostly about minimalist style. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I only have my surface device and a scratch pad with me. And the briefcase is perfect for that,” Shekhar says. “Back when I used a backpack, I had a tendency to carry way more than I needed. The briefcase also helps me ‘fit in’ with the crowds at the Capitol when needed. And helps me definitely stand out in the tech circles.”

Forbes estimates that the global briefcase business will still hit $50 billion by 2030, so it’s not dead yet. But there’s definitely been a trend to the more adaptable backpack.

“I got to be known so much for carrying a backpack that when I chaired the Cap to Cap program with the Metro Chamber, they did backpacks for all the participants that year,” Murphy says.

I now use a cloth messenger bag to haul my laptop around or stick it in a backpack on a plane. But I still covet the fine, carefully crafted fine leather briefcases of my youth. 

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