Handbag Hysteria Hits Hong Kong
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.10.07
The Anya Hindmarch "I am not a plastic bag" handbag was a source of great debate and controversy in England. It was originally sold, with all the best intentions, as an ethical designer carrier bag, designed by a hugely popular, and expensive designer. Twenty thousand of the £5 bags sold out in an hour as eager fashionistas lined up at supermarkets across England to scoop them up. Then it turned out that the so-called green handbags were made in China, using cheap labour. And the bag was neither organic nor fair trade. Never mind the air miles. So what did that whole exercise achieve?
Over to Hong Kong for the next round of conspicuous consumption madness. Despite the searing heat almost 2,000 people lined up overnight to get a copy of the same bag, many because they had heard about it in London and New York and were curious. The shopping centre was forced to call in police when huge crowds demanded to be let into the store and there was further anger when Anya Hindmarch refused to open her shop. The ethical/environmental principles behind the launch seem to have been lost completely, as it turned into a caricature of what the green movement is trying to achieve. A pity. ::Australia Herald Sun (Thanks tipster Linton!)
well that sucks. typical, though. people........
I wanted one of these for a nanosecond. But then I thought... ummm..Why? I'm all for eliminating the use of plastic bags (I use cloth bags already), but I think this idea is lost on most of the people buying this bag.
Consumers are a strange bunch; you sell them this posh bag that can hold the equivalent of a plastic or paper bag they get freely at the store, and they forget that they can reuse those common, boring bags they already had.
Personally, as I ride a scooter/bicycle, I carry a backpack with me wherever I go. Groceries, clothes, small electronics all get indiscriminately tossed in, sans plastic bag.
Selling ethical solutions is unethical. People who truly care will have found their own way independent of the consumerist mass hysteria.
queensland australia has been selling green bags for quiet a while now in its supermarkets. i like them cause you can carry a heavy load without breakage, and ive elimated almost all my wasted plastic bags.
but the other day i forgot to take my bags in with me on a shop and when i was thinking about buying a another colourful 'green' back i saw the made in china. i got thinking about the dyes used on these very very bright bags how this is the colour of chinas drinking water.
i didnt buy another cause it felt like i would be assisting the water deaths over there. any new bags will be local undyed bags for me.
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to know you via internet. We would like to introduce our company as HX EXPORT INTERNATIONAL COMPANY,one of the largest exporters Dried Animal's Skin, located in Vietnam.
Best regard Siezing this chance, We commmed ourselves as one of the leading suppliers in cultivating and exporting Dried Animal's skin : crocodile's skin, ostrich's skin, gecko's skin......
The quality and reasonable prices are always in our top concern to ensure our customer maximum satisfaction with our products. You will meet your requirement.
I hope to have a chance to do business with you
I agree with the plastic bag debate - it is up to consumers to deckine plastic bags at the point of purchase. But most people who are conscious of this issue forget to take their recycled plastic bag(s) out shopping so end up taking more bags home with them. Can we cange this mind-set and consider whether a plastic bag - recycled (old) or new is actually needed in the first place, i.e., parents should store items in a pram, lunch time snacks should simply be carried back to the office / home, etc. Let's start refusing plastic bags instore where possible and reduce production this way. Let's not leave it up to the government to 'ban' bags but rather let's filter them out democratically, based on consumer choice.