Yes, it’s me. The girl who studied art and English in college, and then fashion design after college. The girl who shrinks from personal finance and the vast nuances of the financial world but tries very very hard (for better or worse) to understand both. Yes, I’m the girl who, despite all this, can now claim a quote in that impressive tome of business and finance, the great Wall Street Journal. (Sorry - I don’t have a gift link.) Surprised? Believe me, no one is more surprised than I am, ahem, but stranger things have happened! Yes, today I gave a pithy comment about some ubiquitous items of desirability and trend, and no, I don’t mean Labubus. We are talking about none other than the famous Trader Joe’s tote bag.
It’s been the autumn of the Trader Joe’s tote. In early-October, this piece from Articles of Interest talked about Trader Joe’s totes being the “it” bag of 2025. The way it talked about canvas totes as a signifier of lifestyle, political leanings, and overall identity, put me in mind of a piece I wrote on my old blog in 2008 — the first go-round of canvas totes as identity signifiers. Of course, this was NOT the first time canvas logo totes have signified identity; bookstores and public radio have been gifting their patrons canvas totes for decades before they became “eco-chic”, but 2008 was a hot time for them.
“Now we have our “eco-tote” craze... In the name of eco-chic, designers are now bringing us coveted bags to carry within our bags, just so we have something handy and equally chic to carry home mundane items from the neighborhood grocery or Walgreens. Still, the simple canvas totes are rife with implications of status, location, and income, as they serve as a walking billboard of a person’s demographic.” - from “My Eco-Tote, My Identity”, 2008
At the time, the “I am not a plastic bag” tote from Anya Hindmarch was going head-to-head with Lauren Bush’s philanthropic “Feed” bag sold at Whole Foods. Pretty soon, designers at YSL, BCBG, Kenneth Cole, and Marc Jacobs were getting in on the fun, making exclusive canvas totes as VIP gifts and retail items. I eventually wrapped up my post with this:
“Applying Beaudrillard’s thoughts on semiotics, this trend in eco-totes is really just another way for us to express ourselves. They’re our outward representation of what we stand for, where we shop, and what we want to support. By being conscious of our ecology and ridding ourselves of plastic bags, we have generated a replacement that is literally a blank canvas waiting for expression – preferably a designer one.” - from “My Eco-Tote, My Identity”, 2008
When I saw the post on Articles of Interest, I thought it was so funny that we are exactly where we were years ago…as is the way with everything in the fashion world. The fact that we’re now talking about a new “it” bag that costs less than $5 from a neighborhood grocery store — a bag that’s become a bit of a global phenomenon — just proves the humor. I re-quoted this bit about Beaudrillard on the Articles of Interest post, and a few weeks later I was contacted by Maura Brannigan, the author of today’s piece in the Wall Street Journal, asking if I’d like to offer some insight into the trend.
Ms. Brannigan and I exchanged a few emails where I answered questions about bag design; trends; how American grocery stores — especially Trader Joe’s — are a unique shopping experience versus other countries; what makes an “it” bag; is it scarcity or exclusivity that makes them covetable; why American expats would wear such a thing; how their sturdy cotton construction holds up better than polyester; how their simple colors are more appealing to adults (as opposed to the ugly, goofy-patterned totes made for kids); why Trader Joe’s might appeal to the Japanese market (the twee, cute-ified branding on absolutely everything, plus the cult status of certain products — Trader Joe’s might as well be Supreme); why my friend in Melbourne would want one; and why, while these bags seem to be EVERYWHERE they are extremely difficult to find for purchase in-store.
I was smart and insightful if I do say so myself, and my friend in Melbourne? Well, she’s my friend from when we worked at Louis Vuitton together years ago, so yeah, we both know a bit about bags and what makes them popular and she still HAD TO HAVE my $5 tote to go home with her. (It makes for a great long-haul carry on!)
Of course these bags are all over the place right now. I even told Ms Brannigan that they were “popping up like mushrooms” ergo “how exclusive can they be?” They’re on TikTok, Instagram…and it seems like every trend pundit from CNN to the BBC is talking about them too. In fact, my friend in London sent me a video on Instagram all about the totes, telling me he was “totally fucking over this”. Killjoy.
All of a sudden…Trader Joe’s totes were filling my vision everywhere I went. Granted, there is a Trader Joe’s about 4 blocks from my house so I do see a lot of these totes, but it was only about a week before Christmas when I saw a display of the coveted mini totes for sale. I almost didn’t even see them, but once I saw them…I SAW THEM. Cute, little, and in cherry red, mustard yellow, navy, and forest green — very L.L. Bean. I snapped a photo an posted it to my Instagram stories saying: “first time I’ve seen these in the wild”. Friends were instantly replying with further inquiries: “where are these?” “how many are left?” “which one did you buy?” Confession: I bought one of each…okay, two of the green because it was Christmas and I knew they’d make a great gift.
I kept the yellow mini tote for myself and used it to run a few errands the other day. I stopped into The GAP and while paying for a set of 3 organic cotton undies, the person ringing me up remarked on my Trader Joe’s mini tote.
“OMG the yellow is so cute - how long ago did you buy that?”
“Just last week — they had four colors at Masonic Ave, but they were going fast.”
“I’ve never seen that one — I wanted the pastel pink one this spring but I couldn’t find it.”
“Yeah, this was the first time I’d seen them. They’re usually sold out.”
“Well, if you wanted, you could put it up on Depop and make some money…”
Given that the signs were so clearly everywhere, I was a little surprised (and salty) that my only quote in the article was about gifting my tote to my friend in Melbourne. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so honored to be mentioned in the Wall Street Journal — my name is in there and everything…eeeek! — but given the insights I thought I’d imparted, I feel like this was me at my least brilliant.
I know how these kind of editorials go and how the volume of words promised by an editor will inevitably be reduced to half that amount by the time it goes to print, but…well, that’s showbiz, folks.
Seriously, I’m eternally grateful to Maura Brannigan and the Wall Street Journal for including me. It’s such an honor!
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