The oldest known purse dates back more than 5000 years, and was a pouch worn by a man, Ötzi the Iceman. Men once carried coin purses. In early modern Europe, when women's fashions moved in the direction of using small ornamental purses, which evolved into handbags, men's fashions were moving in another direction.

While it is impossible to name a single "first" individual, the history of the purse dates back to the very dawn of civilization, with evidence that both men and women in ancient Egypt used small pouches. Egyptian hieroglyphics depict figures wearing leather pouches tied around their waists to carry seeds, flint, or precious stones. In a more archaeological context, Ötzi the Iceman, a mummy dating back to roughly 3,300 BCE found in the Alps, was discovered with a leather pouch attached to his belt containing various tools and tinder. In ancient Greece and Rome, "purses" (known as byrsa in Greek) were primarily used by men to carry coins and were often made from pig skin. It wasn't until the 18th and 19th centuries that the purse evolved into the modern "handbag" associated with women's fashion, as pockets were removed from voluminous dresses, necessitating an external way to carry personal items. Famous historical "pioneers" of the luxury handbag include individuals like Grace Kelly, for whom the Hermès "Kelly" bag was renamed after she used it to hide her pregnancy from the paparazzi in 1956, officially cementing the purse as a global fashion icon.