- Tote bags from Waitrose and Daylesford Organic are popular choices
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The middle-class style set has determined the latest It bag – and it might surprise you to learn it’s not a Birkin, Kelly, or Constance.
This time around, it’s one most can afford – but don’t get your hopes up, designer labels haven’t lowered their prices; instead the new trending must-have is a… supermarket tote bag.
Not just any old tote from Sainsbury’s or Tesco will do, though, because the most important – and virtually only- criterion is that the bag must exclusively be from a posh supermarket.
Think the cream tote from Trader Joe’s, Daylesford Organic’s version (which is organic, obviously, and at £6, probably one of the cheapest items in there), Waitrose’s many collaborations with Lulu Guinness or Sophia Webster, and if you’re an online food shopper, Ocado.
The explosion of Trader Joe’s tote bags in the UK might come as a surprise, given they’re only sold directly in stores and there are currently no shops located outside the States.
However, geographical distance has only proven to be a minor inconvenience for members of the tote bag crew yet to visit America, with shoppers turning to eBay and Amazon to purchase versions much dearer than the original $2.99, for a total of around £20.
Content creator Jessica Abbassian, who was lucky enough to pick one up on her trip across the pond, said: ‘They are, in fact, the elite tote for carrying any and everything around London.’
Creating just as much of a storm are Anya Hindmarch’s supermarket collaborations: the designer has teamed up with Ocado to create a deep purple bag, a taupe tote for Whole Foods, among others.
Forget designer bags, now shoppers are raving about supermarket totes, including content creator Jessica Abbassian (pictured), who carried a Trader Joe’s bag back from America
Was £20.17
Unlike her usual bags that can cost hundreds of pounds, Hindmarch’s Universal Bags cost just £13. And it’s not just the fair price attracting customers, but the sustainable qualities.
‘Launched in 2021 after two years of research and exploration, the Universal Bag is Anya Hindmarch’s most ambitious sustainability project to date.
‘The next generation of reusable bag, the Universal Bag builds on I Am Not A Plastic Bag and I Am A Plastic Bag, tackling single-use plastic, rescuing post-consumer waste from landfill and inspiring a reuse mindset.
‘The spacious bag’s fabric is made from 100 per cent recycled plastic and is fully recyclable and offered at an accessible price point.’
But while Hindmarch has supplied totes to numerous suppliers, retailers have introduced popular designs in their own right, including Whole Foods.
The supermarket, which is currently expanding in London, opening six more locations, has exclusive versions for stores priced at £12.99 – making the perfect accessory for those wanting to make clear they shop at the Chelsea King’s Road store.
Waitrose has also launched its own collaborations with designers Sophia Webster and Lulu Guinness.
Webster’s collaboration – a hot pink bag with red butterflies resembling the decorative feature on her trademark sandals – proved to be a particular hit with content creator Anja Liesa, who dubbed the bag a ‘must-have’ while posing with her – not one – but four bags.
TikTok user Anja Liesa (pictured) went crazy for Waitrose’s collaboration with designer Sophia Webster
Daylesford Organic, meanwhile, offers a variety of bags to its shoppers keen to showcase their spending habits at the award-winning farm and store from the Cotswolds.
One content creator, Bailey Marie-Foret, who visited from the States, wrote on TikTok while holding her new tote: ‘Literally one of my favourite tote bags ever.
‘I saw an incredibly chic woman walk out of Daylesford with it in London and I walked right in and bought it.’
Marie-Foret also boasted of the bag’s practical pros, with the size able to fit in all she wishes on an average day.
And the tote bag gang will no doubt grow, with brands becoming increasingly conscious of the craze and how it can bolster sustainable credits and increase visibility.
