The economic slowdown in China; terror attacks in main international luxury plazas such as Paris and the fights against counterfeits have taken a toll on handbag-makers’ creativity.

According to a recent research by Edited, a fashion analysis firm, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd., Prada SpA, LVMH's Louis Vuitton and Burberry Group PLC all reduced the number of styles introduced last quarter.

In the final three months of 2016, the number of new styles introduced by Michael Kors dropped 24 percent from the preceding quarter. Prada and Louis Vuitton rolled out 35 percent fewer new designs, while the number at Burberry dropped 8 percent, according to Edited, whose clients include Ralph Lauren Corp. and luxury e-commerce retailer Net-A-Porter.

On the other hand, a few brands such as Kate Spade & Co. and Ralph Lauren, did introduce more new designs in the fourth quarter, Edited found.

Brands needs their bags sales, which account on average for 40-60 percent of total sales

"There's a feeling of doom out there in the industry - everything is defensive and not offensive," said Milton Pedraza, a luxury consultant who runs the Luxury Institute. "What you're seeing is a tremendous amount of copying, less innovation and less creativity, at a time when exactly what you need is to be bold."

And truth is that luxury brands need their bag sales. Bags account for 39 percent of Gucci’s products priced over $1,000. They make up 65 percent of Fendi’s and 82 percent of Prada’s 1,000 dollars or more assortment, reports Edited in their corporate blog.

"Dropping newness too low could certainly threaten sales," said Katie Smith, a senior fashion analyst at Edited. In fact, rolling out the right number of styles is no easy task. Smith stresses that brands need to strike a careful balance between creating an excess of inventory while ensuring they remain trendy and therefore relevant.

Handbag-makers have faced other challenges as well. Younger consumers are demanding faster availability of the latest trends, and some are showing preference for shoes and jewelry over bags.

Sales growth in handbags is estimated to decelerate to 3.1 percent by 2020, from 16 percent in 2012, according to data collated by Euromonitor. The slowdown has forced companies to diversify. Michael Kors is expanding into menswear, and Kate Spade is growing in other categories such as home goods.

In this regard, Pedraza recalls that "For the first time in many years, there's a real sense of threat," he said. Companies are focused "on survival and dismantling the old structure."

Photo: Louis Vuitton Official Web