MANILA, Philippines — Amid the ongoing Labubu and plushie bag charm craze, Japanese lifestyle brand Uniqlo recently unveiled a bag charm with another purpose: as a reusable tote bag.
English fashion and accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, who rose to fame for igniting the “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” movement in 2007, has recently released her 2024 incarnation of her famed “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” tote bags through a new collaboration with Uniqlo.
But instead of canvas, from which the original “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” arm candies were made of, the new Uniqlo tote bags are made of 100% recycled polyester, a nod to the eco-friendly ethos of Hindmarch’s “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” bags.
“I’m Not a Plastic Bag” was designed by Hindmarch in 2007, as part of her collaborative project with global social change movement We Are What We Do (now known as Shift) and Antidote. According to her website, “After thousands of people queued to purchase the tote from Sainsburys (80,000 on launch day), the project garnered huge press coverage globally, ignited the debate around the use of plastic bags and contributed to the eventual decision to charge for plastic bags in the UK.”
Today, instead of the bold “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” statement, Hindmarch’s “An Eye for Curiosity” logo adorn the Uniqlo collaboration collection.
“I’ve loved collaborating with Uniqlo again, working with their iconic knits and outerwear. Once again, we’ve played with their silhouettes; deconstructing and then rebuilding them with darning stitches, knitted-in patches, and unexpected details, creating special designs, always with a touch of fun,” Anya said in a statement.
“So Anya was really inspired by a lot of things, especially movement like dance… So given that in mind, of course, there are the fall-winter type of colors, which you can see like the navy blue, the moss green, but (true) to Anya's personality, there's a pop of color. That's why there's a pink here,” Reichelle Vergara, Uniqlo Philippines’ Public Relations and Sustainability Head, said in a Philstar.com interview.
Apart from foldable tote bags, the collection introduced Hindmarch’s first outerwear line for the Japanese brand. The outerwear, said the label, is made with next-generation, high-performance PuffTech padding for warmth and lightness, combining design and functionality, with the addition of small pockets on the sleeves. Merino wool sweaters for kids - a first for the brand - have a comfortable feel and are easy to clean. Unique, playful feature include a thumbhole on the right sleeve, which has mouth-inspired stitching, and embroidered eyes motif on the chest – when brought together, they create a face of joy.
For winter, the collection offers a wide variety of pieces to keep one warm, including deconstructed details such as handmade-style cashmere sweaters with darning stitch and knitted patches; merino sweaters with embroidered stitching; and 100% cashmere knit beanies and arm warmers with eye motifs, as well as mittens, knitted scarves, and socks in HeatTech material.
Among the pieces in the collection, Vergara thinks that socks with eyes would be a hit among Filipinos since socks provide warmth and comfort especially during the holidays.
“(Anya) designed outerwear, which is mostly for kids or also for adults, for female, for ladies and as well as, but as you know, Uniqlo is actually, we have a genderless silhouette and styling. So what you can see here actually, it's definitely applicable also even to males and as well as boys. So it's quite gender-neutral if you wear it,” she affirmed.
Apart from using recycled fabric like nylon in the collection, among Uniqlo’s sustainable efforts is to encourage consumers to use reusable tote bags such as the ones in the Anya Hindmarch collaboration collection that dabbles as a bag charm with eyes, and the bag’s zipper as mouth.
“We really discourage people to buy paper bags or use plastic bags,” Vergara said. “We actually encourage people to bring their own unique, eco-friendly bags when they shop.”