2004 was a big year for both me and Gwen Stefani. She released her debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. which went on to receive six Grammy nominations. I had my life changed by songs like “Luxurious” and “Cool.” And we both wore her fashion line L.A.M.B. as often as humanly possible.
L.A.M.B., an acronym for Stefani’s aforementioned record, was formative in teenage personal style. In particular, I was obsessed with the line’s collaboration with LeSportSac, the handbag and luggage company whose claim to fame is its use of functional nylon — a love that’s still going strong 20 years later.
L.A.M.B. is one of the few moments of nostalgia that I not only tolerate, but openly embrace. Stefani’s designs, which spanned from gothic lettering on oxblood red nylon to recreations of notebook scribbles asking “Where did my lamb go?” were compelling and notably edgier than the candy-colored Juicy Couture sweatsuits that reigned supreme at the time. Each bag — from cross-body options to snug mini bags to oversized totes — came with a metal lamb charm that jingled against the buckle hardware with each step. The purses were an extension of Stefani herself: out there, groundbreaking, inherently sweet, yet not for everyone.
I’ve kept my L.A.M.B. bags in good condition despite wearing them incessantly through middle and high school. (It wasn’t too hard, considering that LeSportSac’s nylon is easy to clean and practically indestructible.) I even convinced my mom to buy an oversized boho bag silhouette with pistachio green lamb illustrations so I could eventually (by which I mean, immediately) borrow it for an excursion to the mall.
I wear my L.A.M.B. mini bag out to this day when I want a je nais se quois that something like my vintage Gucci Jackie bag simply can’t deliver. There’s an if you know, you know quality to the line. The bags are no longer in production and stand out in a sea of Bottega Veneta Jodie purses. Younger people often ask me if the bag is John Galliano, but those who lived and breathed the L.A.M.B. lifestyle in its heyday flock to me in a state of ecstasy. If I see someone rocking a L.A.M.B. purse out in the wild, I return the favor. Some people have also kept their purses since middle school; others have repurchased them from resale sites like Poshmark and ThredUp as an ode to their younger selves.
I don’t know much, but I know Stefani’s legacy will forever live on through her solo work and her output with No Doubt. But for some of us, it also lives on in the clink of a lamb-shaped charm on a nylon purse.