Designers offer luxury plastic bags amid ban
FASHION designers are cashing in on the chaos at the cash register and urging shoppers to glam up their groceries with stylish plastic bags - priced at up to $2050.
Luxury labels may have seen a gap in the market after retail giants Coles and Woolworths bungled their bans on single-use plastic bags, then flip-flopped on whether to charge 15c for their reusable replacements.
Branded bags made of thick plastic have hit the market. They are much the same as standard reusable supermarket bags - only fancier. And more expensive.
On Instagram yesterday, Scanlan Theodore plugged its clear vinyl "Deborah Barnet Grocery Bag", available in charcoal or blue, for $350 - more than the $237 average most households spend on food every week.
Reaction on social media was mixed. "I'd make a joke but this is just … stupid," one user wrote.
Another said: "This is ridiculous and I'd give my left t. to have it."
Burberry has also jumped on the bag-wagon, offering a "Medium Plastic Shopper with Vintage Check Pouch" for a jaw-dropping $2050.
Michael Kors and Celine were other labels selling high-priced plastic bags.
Sydney University marketing expert Dr Rohan Miller said the new trend promoted an unhealthy reliance on plastic.
"There's no reason we can't use different materials," he said.
