Earth day report: Why your next bag won't be an 'It' bag

MANILA, Philippines - When the going gets tough, the fashionable get frugal. Just look at all the group sale sites that have launched as of late, the endless designer-for-store collaborations, and the free-for-all shop ‘n’ shmooze affair Fashion’s Night Out. Obviously, it takes a lot more than a shaky economy to bring a girl to her knees.

If anything, the recession has been somewhat like a reset button, turning the act of buying back into a more mindful, more meaningful experience. Yes, today’s shopper is savvy. She’s well aware of the value of money; and, with frankly less of it to go around these days, knows how to spend it.

Enter the humble cloth tote. Affordable, handy, and able to offset your carbon footprint in one portable package, what was once merely regarded as the Prius of bags is now adorning the arms of more than the usual granola variety.

Celebrities like Natalie Portman, Blake Lively, Katie Holmes, Rachel Weisz and Sarah Jessica Parker are known to leave their luxury leathers at home in lieu of the down-to-earth carryall; while even the notoriously aloof fashion set, including top designers Tory Burch, Stella McCartney, Kate Spade and Rachel Roy, are both producing and toting their own eco alternatives.

Probably the biggest turning point for totes came in the form of English designer Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m Not A Plastic Bag,” a basic £5 bag from unbleached cotton. With an initial run of 20,000 pieces — 30 bags per store, one bag per customer — the democratic designer bag catapulted to A-list fame when it was included in the goodie bags of Vanity Fair’s Oscar night party in 2007. Since then, this heady mix of celebrity and unavailability has led to the bag selling out within hours at pretty much every one of its launches around the globe.

Anya herself reveals to The New York Times that, “to create awareness you have to create scarcity by producing a limited edition. I hate the idea of making the environment trendy, but you need to make it cool and then it becomes a habit.”

It’s in the bag: “I avoid anything that screams designer ‘It’ bag,” says Hindy Tantoco of her totes of choice.

Bringing that concept to local shores is fashion-forward department store Adora. “The Anya Hindmarch brand has a subtle confidence that offers our customers strong fashion pieces both sophisticated and functional,” explains Adora’s communications manager Erica Ilacad as to why they decided to stock the label. “When Anya Hindmarch created her ‘I’m Not A Plastic Bag’ five years ago, she was using her influence in a positive way to raise awareness of the issue and make it fashionable not to use plastic bags.”

Local concept store ECHOstore Sustainable Living was founded on the same idea. “In the US, green living is already mainstream,” observes co-founder Jeannie Javelosa. “And since the Philippines follows western trends when it comes to fashion, we have tried to make the practice of green living also mainstream. We stock Luntian Bags, Eco-sac, Mother Earth and Gawad Kalinga.”

Counting Chin-Chin Gutierrez, Mikey Cojuangco-Jaworski, Ciara Sotto, KC Concepcion and Sharon Cuneta as a few of her tote-loving customers, Jeannie finds that “people always like totes because they are statements to what they believe in, as well as part of the sustainable lifestyle we espouse.”

Establishments that aren’t 100-percent eco-centered are likewise seeing the rise of the tote’s status. A fan of “all bags durable, functional, and that look nice,” Bagahollic founder Heidi Ng added One Language and Banana Taipei to her online store in 2010. The two niche labels are known for infusing tongue-in-chic style to classic canvas — with artlessly handwritten designs, and iconic Hermès Birkin color imprints — and it wasn’t long before stocks were flying off the virtual shelves.

“Cloth totes are the best replacement for plastic bags, are more affordable than designer bags, and can be carried by people of any age and gender,” reasons Heidi. “They come in a lot of designs, like bold statements, graphics and prints, which makes them more fun and fashion forward.”

Also seeing the tote’s surface as an artistic medium, Rootote is a Japan-born brand that has been around for upward of a decade. “The main belief behind the brand was that something as common as a tote could be a form of expression, which is why our designs are all very different,” reveals Rootote’s Philippine distributor Joni Ong.

“Generally, though, totes are perfect for Filipinos because they are very practical. I notice Filipinos also prefer designs they can use every day, those safer in color and style, with materials that are water-resistant and easy to clean.” 

Even NGOs have jumped on the tote bag board. Gawad Kalinga’s Blue Eagle Village currently produces all the custom canvas bags for Human Nature, the all-natural, all-Philippine-made brand known for its personal care products.

The Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. (CSFI), the “first wives” club of the Philippine House of Representatives, is also currently auctioning totes designed and signed by celebrities, from the Pacquiao and the Gomez families to the Azkal players, as a way to raise college funds for 100 female scholars around the nation.

And sure enough, the use of totes has become a strong personal preference. Fashion designer Hindy Weber Tantoco, for one, admits to almost always using eco-bags. “I choose not to buy recognizable designer luxury bags. Anything to help the environment is stylish in and of itself,” she states. “My favorites are handmade, free, or given to me by friends — having to buy one defeats the purpose, I would think. Don’t we have enough bags in our closet we can rework or reuse?”

Style and all-around tastemaker Cecile Van Straten has also been using eco-bags for years. “Before, you had to really order them from abroad. But now, you get them for free when you go to press conferences and events,” she says. “I have more than 100, so there’s really no excuse for me not to use one. I always keep a couple in my bag, and have taught my yayas to use them.”

Cecile even goes so far to say that the “It” bag is dead. “Ano ba ang ‘It’ bag?” she poses. “The certain bag everyone wanted to have that costs so much money. On top of that, they are usually so much heavier, especially for someone like me, who carries their whole house with them.”

But don’t assume Cecile’s tote of choice to be a slouch, though. “It has to make me happy, be functional, and have a cool design, like a Comme des Garcons. If it says Marks & Spencer, I’ll definitely use my own,” she states. “An eco-bag doesn’t have to be made of canvas, either, which can be really thick and rough. I like thin nylon so you can pack it really small.” 

So what’s her favorite tote of the moment? “A freebie from BDO. It’s yellow with a simple design and zippered pouch that makes it easy to stuff the whole thing inside.”

Media favorite KC Concepcion is another notable supporter of eco-friendly products. “Since there are so many classy, chic ones these days, totes can be a fun way to highlight your outfit,” she shares. “I like pairing totes with more sleek outfits so it doesn’t look too casual or bohemian. And if it’s colorful, I don’t like wearing colorful clothes so it doesn’t clash.”

Whether for fashion or for function, given or purchased, the cloth tote is a statement piece with substance. It speaks not of money, but of awareness and values. Not of rank, but of a sophisticated, effortless status. And best of all? These cloth totes do what a bag is supposed to do — they’re on hand to carry your belongings, and thankfully, don’t cost you an arm and a leg to do it.