'I AM a plastic bag'

So by now, we have discovered the true identity of the supposedly green and eco-friendly ‘I’m not a Plastic Bag’ Anya Hindmarch canvas tote.  Produced in China, the materials used to make the bag are neither organic nor fair trade.  Outted and shamed!  Not that these ‘minor’ details are curbing people’s desire for this fake of a bag (a bag that is ‘fake’ in it’s principles…. a new one for the 21st century I think…) as auctions on eBay are reaching hundreds of pounds with ludicrous Buy it Now prices of ¬£150.  I’m literally shaking my head in disbelief when I tap in those search key words.

Well, like I said, I was never hot on the bag anyway.  If you do want to buy a version of the bag with a social conscience, I’d opt for the ‘I’m not a smug twat’ version by Marissa V – at least it doesn’t utilise cheap labour!  However, for me personally, I have a perverse desire to do a complete 180 and get a bag that declares ‘I am a Plastic Bag’.  Peter Bertsch, who I mentioned yesterday won the 1,2,3 prize at Hyeres this year used a lot of this PVC material in his collection that he hand moulded to make cuffs, collars and also accessories like this massive tote.  No high eco-friendly and ethical pretenses here.  Just an aesthetically beautiful bag that *gasp* you can also use over and over again.

33 comments

  1. ha ha i love the i am not a smug twat bag. I know it is ridiculous that a bag sold in the shops for ¬£5 then goes on ebay for ¬£150. Also i can’t belive it was made in china. But i suppose it’s heart was in the right place…

  2. The Peter Bertsch plastic bag is so much cooler than both taken together! His design is just so unique and interesting looking and most important, it does not try to be something it’s not!
    Go plastic!

  4. from the ah website:
    Where was this bag made?
    I’m Not A Plastic Bag is made in China. We have worked with a reputable supplier there whose workers are paid double the minimum wage and who complies with all aspects of Chinese Labour Law. The factory also retains external consultants to monitor it from an international standards standpoint.
    How environmentally friendly is this bag?
    I’m Not A Plastic Bag came about because we wanted to use our influence in a positive way to make it fashionable not to use plastic bags. The bag is a stylish, practical reusable alternative that we hoped would raise awareness of the issue of wasted packaging and spark debate. We have always been very open about the fact that this bag is not produced using organic or fairtrade cotton. We have shipped the bags by sea and carbon offset our production and freight through the purchase of carbon credits.

  5. Hmmm…Emma thanks for the extra info….but that all sounds suspiciously like cover-up spin…. but even so, I was never keen on the bag in the first place especially with all the frenzy over it….. eBay, queues etc…..

  6. i agree…i thought the bag was a neat idea at first, but all the celebrity hype, eBay crap, fashion must-have status just killed the original spirit of it. now it’s just another trendy bag that screams fashion victim. i wouldn’t be caught dead with the bag anymore.

  8. But is all the shitty hype (ie. celebs, dBay, etc) really the designers fault? It seems as though the idea came from a good place. And even a non-organic, made in China bag is better than a plastic bag. I think the message is still valid.
    I’ve also noticed that trends get really out of control in London (I’m there twice a year and follow a few UK blogs), so since I’m not there full-time I don’t have to deal with the overkill first hand. Things are a bit more moderate here in Canada.
    Everyone’s entitled to their opinion of course, just wanted to offer another point of view. And I have to admit, the original is a pretty nice piece of typography from a graphic design point of view!

  9. ^
    I’ve never seen anyone carry it in Canada but then again I don’t live in a major city there. I agree with susie. It’s all spin, spin, spin. Who cares if there heart is in the right place? If they aren’t going to ethically produce it then what does it matter? I love the smug twat one. So distinctly english and a nice social commentary.

  10. this bag is definitely hypocritical. but then again we are ALL hypocrites. you can’t escape from buying China made products anywhere in the world, whether it’s cheap Forever 21 or Top Shop outfits, furniture, electronics, etc we are all contributing to exploitation. we all read the Made in China tags and still purchase.
    plus, were people really buying the “I’m not a plastic bag” bag because they all suddenly became hardcore environmentalists or was it more for the novelty factor?
    i’m curious, does the tag inside the bag say “Made in China”?

  11. the flesh color of the Peter Bertsch bag kind of freaks me out. it looks medical and reminds me of a vagina. maybe im just a perv. anyways this whole plastic bag thing is hilarious. i cannot believe people are buying those dumb things for 150 bucks. how incredibly stupid.

  12. In all honesty I liked “I’m not a plastic bag” initially. I thought it was a fun idea to create a potential ‘it’ bag with an environmental issue. Seeing the prices soar on ebay is sadly what we get to expect these days with worldwide auctions. I was disappointed to find out it was made in china. Kind of ruined it for me since I actually take environmental issues seriously. I’m sure not a saint, but I try not to be too contradictory either. So I’m ready for a new ‘it’ bag but in the meantime “I’m not a smug twat” sure shall entertain me!

  13. Hi there!
    your blog is awesome. but I have another question. I love to see how fashionable people live. so, is it possible to see once your room(s)? for me, it’s always very inspiring to have a look in room..
    so, I wish you a nice day!

  15. I work in the same building as the charity (yes charity!) which came up with the Im not a plastic bag idea and I must say, although they may have not paid much attention to the scandal that the production of the bag would bring about, their hearts were truly in the right place. Although a lot of you will find that the demand for this bag makes it “uncool” and unhip, at least fashion has been used to spread a message. A lot of people I know are now using this bag for shopping trips instead of using plastic bags. That has to be good right?

  18. honestly, i don’t see what the ruckus is about. i didn’t see any “eco-friendly or ethical” pretenses in it anywhere. the bag does not say, “i am not a made-in-china bag.” it says only that it’s not a plastic bag. and if it succeeds in getting people to throw away less plastic bags, then i think that’s a great thing.
    most products are imperfect in many ways; and i think it’s almost impossible for a product to be perfect in every way. so we shouldn’t jump on a company/product that was at least trying to make some change happen.
    as natty has said, isn’t the fact that this bag may have stopped people from wasting plastic is at least somewhat of a step forward. susie, i love your blog and your fresh outlook on fashion, but i think in this case you might have it wrong.

  19. I don’t think the topshop comparison is apt because when we are buying clothes from there, it isn’t for environmental reasons. The point is that they are trying to highlight change for the way people think and the world operates but in fact aren’t doing any change at all. I’d rather just carry a black cloth M&S bag to be honest.

  20. Fashionista has already blogged at about this post, but I just wanted to point out, along with my comment there, that it shouldn’t matter WHY someone decides to become more environmentally conscious. The point is that they do! It’s really stupid to criticize someone who is making a modest and honest effort.

  21. yes i love the im not a smug twat bag as im not a smug twat at all and i think it is better than the other version .but i dount think it will be long untill the celebs catch onto this one either and how come its also the case that when a fair trade item is available the shitty celebs are always the first to have them this must tell people that the designer is infact all there to get the rush on the item and make them vast amounts of cash come on people of the world wake up.

  22. wake up sainsburys isnt jamie oliver annoying enough that you have to piss people off even more by not asking for more bags to be mas produced if there so good for the enviroment.idiots

  23. Check out this link on how to spot FAKE I’M NOT A PLASTIC BAG, it’s a tutorial created by GoodGuyYoung on Ebay
    http://tinyurl.com/2d4vhj
    You know you’re getting a fake when 80% of the bags on Ebay are sold from Asia now, with people with little or no Feedback.
    Sellers should really take a unique picture with their screename near the bag and provide some sort of receipt proof as to how they obtained the tote!
    Beware of sellers that claim to be from North America too, they just register with a fake address and they’ll ship their items from China.
    Now you even have US or Canada residents who buy fake bags from China and resell them claiming they are authentic from the USA !
    Colors other than navy blue, brown, grey, dark green and lavender (careful) are fake.
    Pay close attention to the wording, which should be stitched on and the font size.
    The Anya Hindmarch bow logo should not appear too big or too small.

  25. i dont really get it when you see people using ‘im not a plastic bag’ bag for carrying around whatever it is u keep in a handbag or tote anyway. its only an alternitive to plastic bags if you use them when you would otherwise use plastic ones, like to carry grocerys home.

  28. Handbags are not only to carry some stuff with yourself, these are status symbol these days. Bags are available in many colors and design, as you can have bags of same colors matching to your cloths. Here i am giving a link where you can have handbags of your choice http://www.jessellicouture.com/

  30. I am so happy you posted on laduree. I have written about macarons a couple of times and when I speak to people, many times they have not heard of macarons. Thanks for spreading the word on my favourite treat!

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