It has become the most high-profile example of the unlikely movement for carrier bags that is sweeping high-fashion, as well as the secondhand market.
Kardashian’s particular bag was later revealed to be a collaboration between Balenciaga and Erewhon – an expensive organic grocery store in the US that has become a mecca for health freaks.
A Smythson bag with matching tissue paper tends to go for £40, while a set including eight different brands – spanning Gucci, Burberry and La Mer – starts from £114.
On resale sites such as eBay, empty paper carrier bags from luxury brands such as Chanel and Balmain can sell for as much as £65. Prices for a paper Hermes bag start at £45, while the box begins at £200.
The trend brings a whole new meaning to the term “designer bag”, with even Birkin-loving Kim Kardashian seen clutching one at Balenciaga’s show in Los Angeles this week.
But the plethora of designer paper bags seen on the bus in the mornings often do not contain purchases from Chanel or Prada – but commuters’ packed lunches.
To the uninitiated, it may seem like lovers of high fashion are getting up earlier these days.
The paper shopping bags of high-end fashion labels have become on-trend items for everything from ferrying lunches to appearing in TikTok backgrounds.
Whether you gravitate towards slouchy styles, suede stunners, or the darling LBBs (little black bags!), the below affordable handbag sampling has a little something for everyone.
From covetable contemporary brands like St. Agni, Staud, and Reformation to high-street favorites, a new handbag doesn’t have to break the bank.
