First there was the It Bag designed by Anya Hindmarch with the slogan: "I'm Not A Plastic Bag," which caused a stampede.
Now an alternative version, with the words: "I'm Not A Smug Twat," emblazoned across it, is proving a hit. The £5 Hindmarch version went on sale at Sainsbury's last week, prompting customers to queue for hours to own the "greener" alternative to a plastic bag.
But it has attracted controversy after it was revealed it was manufactured in China.
Marissa Vanderzee has created her alternative version because she was sick of the growing obsession with designer handbags.
Miss Vanderzee, 31, said: "The whole fad bag thing annoys me. They're generally hugely overpriced and the whole idea of having a 'must-have' or 'it' item is ridiculous.
"This ecological bag thing is just a fad. I guess it's ironic that my bags are becoming a bit of a 'must-have' item - albeit on a minor scale."
Initially, Miss Vanderzee, who comes from California but has lived in Shoreditch since 2002, made three bags for a joke, but now she is receiving 10 orders a day.
She sells them for £15 at stalls in Brick Lane market, Tower Hamlets, and Broadway Market, Hackney.
She said: "I came up with the idea when I saw reports of people queuing at Sainsbury's.
"I don't understand why anyone would want to queue for hours just to get their hands on a bag. It seems crazy."
She said it was a "great shame" that the Hindmarch bags had been made using Chinese labour.
Typically, workers in the Chinese garment industry are paid between 20p and 30p an hour and there are concerns that the cotton used has been picked by child labour.
Miss Vanderzee said: "They're supposed to be ethical and yet it turns out they're exploiting people. My bag might be a bit more expensive but the only cheap labour I'm exploiting is me.
"I also support local sourcing and production.
"My fabrics are sourced in Northern Ireland, England and Italy, while they are produced in London and Wales."
Sainsbury's has defended the Hindmarch bag. A spokesman said: "While the bag is made in China it is not manufactured with cheap labour nor does it exploit local workers.
"The factory pays double the minimum wage for that province and works with an international human rights consultant."
The Daily Mirror
