This A.P.C Backpack Is a Literal Douche Bag. Huh?

Courtesy of A.P.C.

Well, this one is a head-scratcher. French brand A.P.C. is selling a small drawstring bag for men. This is a perfectly harmless product except for some reason designer Jean Toitou has decided to call it — wait for it — a Douche Bag. It’s not actually designed after the feminine product, which, I’m incredibly thankful that we aren’t there as a culture yet (oh no, did I just give Jeremy Scott an idea for his next Moschino collection?!), but the question remains: Why? At first I thought, well, surely it’s just that the French call a shower a “douche” and yes, they do, but A.P.C. is an international brand and surely they know the connotations of the word in English therefore we can’t pretend that it didn’t cross their minds. Even more, the bag is actually stamped with the word “D O U C H E” across the top, which makes me feel like the play on words is purposeful. After all, A.P.C. is known for their minimal aesthetic and not for being a conceptual brand.

So what gives? Toitou gave an enigmatic statement regarding the bag, including the French phrase “myse en abyme,” which he goes on to say “cannot be explained” (even though a quick Internet search reveals that it’s something that roughly translates to “placed into the abyss”). “Those who know, don’t say and those who say, don’t know,” the designer added. At first you’re like, what is this guy talking about? But when you put on your tween boy brain hat you realize that the bag is probably designed for guys to bring their tooth brush and other grooming essentials to a girl’s house (aka, the abyss), and then the whole “Douche” thing takes on way too many meanings for me to even wrap my head around. Am I over thinking it? Maybe. But since A.P.C. enjoys being an intellectual brand I’m sure I’m not far off from the real answer.