Branded bags out, tote bags in

Rise of humble tote mirrors shift in collective psyche valuing experiences more than wealth

- Sue-Ann Tan

Tote bags including from Trader Joe's and The New Yorker. In a world where we are bombarded by advertisements and told what is fashionable and what is not, the tote bag becomes a medium of personal expression. It conveys one's favourite bookstore, a well-loved show, perhaps even a preferred travel destination.

(ST PHOTO: GIN TAY)

I was at the Esplanade one weekend when a guy approached me and asked me where I bought my tote bag.

It was a tote bag from the musical Next To Normal, a contemporary rock show that played for only three months on London's West End in 2024.

This somewhat niche tote bag was instantly recognised by a fellow musical theatre nerd because it carried the title of a song from the musical: Superboy And The Invisible Girl. We ended up chatting and exchanging more theatre tidbits.

Do tote bags carry more significance now as a new social and cultural symbol than branded bags, which were signifiers of wealth?

Buying a branded bag with your first pay cheque used to be a rite of passage, a sign of financial independence and of finally earning your own money.

But now, tote bags seem to be the new ‘in thing’.

In February, my colleague wrote about the now-iconic cream and navy Trader Joe’s tote bag from the American grocery chain, which has become a desired product for a wide variety of people from students to office workers.

Last December, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung posted on Instagram about popping into Daunt Books in London and leaving with the bookshop’s tote bag.

The dark green Daunt Books tote, featuring an illustration of the famous shop, is a highly sought-after bag that has been seen on the arms of celebrities like Elizabeth Olsen and Keira Knightley.

A Telegraph article in 2024 called it a ‘ubiquitous class marker for the literati’.