I bought this bag because I already knew the brand before. I actually have another herschel bag thats blue, and since I've been using the same one for a long time now I decided to get another one.
This brand is amazing, it can survive basically anything.
Mine survived rain, snow, hot weathers, and the intense packed subways in my exchange program to Japan.
The reason why I bought this one in particular was because I have a bunch of pins, and the best color (in my opinion) to put a bunch of pins in is a black color. Plus, I'd like a bag that has very intense resistance and good fabric so the pins wouldn't fall off. Trust me, I've had other bags that the pins fell off, I was lucky enough that people pointed it out. But this bag? They stayed in place perfectly because of the fabric!!
And since this bag is pretty sturdy, it doesn't slouch down that easily when I pack it with stuff.
My 14-year-old son chose this backpack to brave the beginning of high school and was happy it arrived the day before school started. He loves the subtle details and quality that is expected with a Herschel. I think that an outside pocket for a water bottle would make the bag more functional.