We appear to be in the golden era for stylish reusable bags. Whether you’re looking for a sturdy pack to transport a week’s worth of groceries to your door, or just a light container for your phone/wallet/keys while you ride the metro. Chances are there’s a bag available from high-fashion and casual brands alike to suit all your transport needs.
For a list of 5 tote bags geared for heavy-duty transport, check out this HOLR article. Amongst the Balenciaga-hacked Gucci bags that were released in the Spanish fashion house’s SS22 “Clones” collection, a little blue and red shopping bag appeared that was sure to catch the eye of any UK spectators. The nylon checkout bag sported British multinational retailer Tesco’s dual-coloured stripes and was handed out at shopping locations across the UK.
Image Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga is far from the first luxury brand to draw inspiration from grocery stores. Martin Margiela seemed to ignite the shopping bag fire in autumn of 1989 with his iconic runway show that was placed in the middle of a North African neighbourhood outside of Paris. Models paraded down the runway sporting carrier bags from French supermarket Franprix that were fashioned into tops and held together with duct tape. Since then the ball has kept rolling, and Margiela has continued to offer shopping bags in PVC or leather form. If you’re not keen on the luxury-designer approach to the shopping bag but don’t want to compromise on style, Baggu has been offering bags modelled after the traditional plastic shopping bag since 2007. Often complete with a charming design, the lightweight nylon-built Standard Baggu has been the company’s best-selling item since its inception.
Image Courtesy of Welcome Objects
With all the clout surrounding tote bags and now shopping bags, the public seems to forget about the third option that has also seen its high fashion revival. Fisherman net bags provide all the same storage capabilities and foldability as all the alternatives and were even reinterpreted by Vetements in 2017. Regardless of which model you pick, the crucial selling point surrounding the newfound glory of shopping bags is that they are reusable. The increased popularity of multi-use bags is a step in the right direction in the mission to render single-use plastics obsolete. So grab your stylish shopping bag and take pride in the fact that you’re displaying a keen eye for fashion while simultaneously doing your part to help planet earth.
Image Courtesy of Boston Globe