anya hindmarch - I’m Not a Plastic Bag
by Maureen @ 8:47 pm 13 comments »
Those who know me know how cranky I can be about the preponderance of plastic bags polluting our precious planet. Wow, a lot of alliteration going here:) So when I caught wind of this I’m Not a Plastic Bag item, I was intrigued.
Fashionistas are atwitter over London-based designer Anya Hindmarch’s under-stocked, supposedly “eco-friendly” bag. Many are clamoring to get their paws on Anya’s I’m Not a Plastic Bag while I’m wondering about its eco-friendly quotient.
Is it manufactured using organic cotton? Are the dyes used, vegetable based? All that seems to be “reported” (in the loosest sense) is that it’s a “must have” eco accessory. With Keira Knightley, Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johannson among Anya’s celebrity following, and priced at a mere five pounds ($6.69 US), no wonder it’s flying off the shelves and onto shoulders everywhere. Granted, it’s for a good cause — supporting We Are What We Do. A big Thanks to Virginia Rowe of Style Will Save Us, she saved me by providing WAWWD’s correct link. I’m all about eliminating plastic bags, but let’s do it right. As of right now, I cannot confirm if it’s made of recycled material or organic cotton. But of course, even if this bag is not “totally green” at least it’s better than a plastic bag.
more @ anya hindmarch and @ catwalk queen
***FOLLOW-UP TO ORIGINAL POST, ABOVE: Check out Our Preliminary Guide to some Eco Friendly and Eco Chic Alternative Shopping Bag options. This is a partial list, as there are so many fine choices available these days, I’ll compile another list next month.
And here’s some good news about San Francisco’s ban on plastic shopping bags.
Thursday, April 26: “Eco-friendly Shopping Bags” - an AltCon video.
Friday, April 27: News Blitz on Anya’s “I’m Not an Ethical Bag”
July 18, 2007: Anya’s Bag, a nyc hit
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I think that global warming should not be made into a hand bag. This bag is not helping people to realise the situation but its creating a bigger problem. This bag is being shown as a celeb icon because many celbs have bought this bag as a designer bag and they see it like a bargin well for five pounds it is not much! Everybody wants this bag not becuse they want to help the world its just so they can grab a designer bag!
I agree with the above comment. Global warming is being turned not just into a bag, but into an industry, with idiot savants shouting the end of the world is nigh (the same guys who shouted about global cooling in the ’80s).
Interestingly, there was a protest outside the AH shop last week, and more are planned, some by Indians wanting to get cotton out of their country, where it kills and blinds thousands every year. AH has been called the “Jane Goody” of the environmental world.
We would benefit from hemp or jute bags, but using cotton is like eating a pig at a Bar Mitzvah.
Bags of Change will soon be selling an eco-friendly, stylish and sturdy hemp-cotton bag which will also reward you for shopping ethically and locally. If you’re fed up with plastic bags, sign up for a sneak preview at http://www.bagsofchange.com
Where have the fashionistas been all these years? Won’t be getting one of these overpriced Made in China (AH says this wasn’t ideal, but…)bags as I have dozens of canvas bags & have used them as long as I can remember. Like my gran used to say, you never went shopping without your own bags in the old days.
And Anya is stil flogging posh bags made from dead cows…
Hi, oddly enough i recently bought a bag from my local farmers market wanting to add to my collection and support the market. to my surprise the bag label said made in china. I was very upset at this! So I looked into the company that made it they make no claims on their web site that they are fair trade or fairly traded nor do they say that the bags are made of recycled material. I took my problem to the market management { the bag says on it “eat local”} They said that they received a letter from the company stating that the bags were made of recycled plastic and that the localy made bags were more expensive. I’m totally disalusioned about the whole thing that the market did so little research and that they truly believe we who shop at the market won’t pay the true cost of what we want. so I put the question out, would you pay $20 for a locally sourced and made bag?
Mariegold
Hi Marie,
To answer your question: Would you pay $20 for a locally sourced and made bag? I’d say that if it’s the bag I really want, YES! There are bags available that are even more expensive than that — I think it just comes down to — some bags are “utilitarian” and some are more “fashion and style-conscious.”
Maureen
Does anyone know if I could pre-order one of these bags for Canada?
I live in Montreal and would really like to get a hold of one, if anyone has one for sale or would like to give me tips on where to purchase it, please help
me0kat@gmail.com
The Anya bag went on sale 2 days ago, with a queue stretching a quarter mile around Sainsburys in Camden…ironically, most of the people had no idea about natural fibres etc., it seemed most wanted to put it on Ebay. A Sainsburys in West London was even putting them in plastic bags!
The Ecologist is writing about all this in the May issue, with note on their E-newsletter last night…and at http://www.schmoontherun.blogspot.com and http://www.hempforvictory.blogspot.com there are posts with images of the queus and the hemp bag protesters carried to make their point.
It may be that all the pesticides used in cotton production, along with the fact that it uses up so much water, are factors in the disappearance of the bees. Is it not time we took a look at facts and not stupid celebrities trying to get our attention by jumping on the green band wagon?
It doesn’t really matter where it’s made, or what it’s made out of… The point is, people who like this bag will want to use it and that in itself can reduce the consumption of plastic bags.
The goal wasn’t to diminish child labor or cheap labor in China.
If people like this bag and decide to use it as an alternative to plastic shopping bags, then the message and goal is effective.
People who want this bag know its intended purpose and ultimately it’s a personal choice to stop using plastic or not. The bag itself doesn’t make a difference, it’s the attitude people adopt.
The message is boldly imprinted on the bag so it’s promoting awareness and a 2nd look at things.
Like if you bring it to a supermarket where everyone is packing their stuff in plastic, they might think twice next time.
I just saw a funny knockoff of this bag
http://www.cafepress.com/ohiso.166358374
I think this entire bag thing is to bring people’s awareness up about the environment. Although the intent behind getting the bag is a little backwards, the goal of what the makers wanted to accomplish is interestingly enough achieved. A little break in collective consciousness for the positive is always a good thing.
> The message is boldly imprinted on the bag so it’s promoting awareness and a 2nd look at things.
>Like if you bring it to a supermarket where everyone is packing their stuff in plastic, they might think twice next time.
That’s assuming the person uses the bag for groceries. It was even featured in a fashion magazine and they remarked some like “we can only pretend that we are using it to carry our groceries”. It other words, the bag wouldn’t be used for grocery shopping but probably to hold other stuff.
It’s still used to hold -something- that might have been held with a plastic bag, but the feeling around the bag is more about it being coveted like a real Louis Vuitton bag since celebrities have been seen with it, rather than being environmental.
The message is boldly imprinted on the bag so it’s promoting awareness and a 2nd look at things.
Like if you bring it to a supermarket where everyone is packing their stuff in plastic, they might think twice next time.
That’s assuming the person uses the bag for groceries. It was even featured in a fashion magazine and they remarked something like “we can only pretend that we are using it to carry our groceries”. It other words, the bag wouldn’t be used for grocery shopping but probably to hold other stuff.
It’s still used to hold -something- that might have been held with a plastic bag, but the feeling around the bag is more about it being coveted like a real/fake Louis Vuitton bag since celebrities have been seen with it, rather than being environmental.