9 designer totes to buy to replace plastic bags: Christian Dior to Anya Hindmarch

Designer bags that'll make a statement about your fashion sense as well as your sustainability credentials

Printed black canvas tote, Dh437, Sporty & Rich at net-a-porter.com. Photo: net-a-porter.com

Burgundy I Am A Plastic Bag, Dh3,338, Anya Hyndmarch at farfetch.com. Photo: farfetch.com

Leather trimmed cotton-canvas tote, Dh3,500, Chloe at net-a-porter.com. Photo: net-a-porter.com

Small Book Tote in blue toile de jouy embroidery, Dh12,500, Christian Dior. Photo: Dior

The Beatles vegetarian leather-trimmed cotton-canvas tote, Dh2,406, Stella McCartney at net-a-porter.com. Photo: net-a-porter.com.

White logo canvas bag, Dh574, Supreme at farfetch.com. Photo: farfetch.com

Black and white circle logo tote, Dh357, 10 Corso Como at farfetch.com. Photo: farfetch.com

Canvas tote with blue detail, Dh1,406, Yu Mei at farfetch.com. Photo: farfetch.com

Blue Baby recycled canvas tote, Dh954, Anya Hyndmarch at farfetch.com. Photo: farfetch.com

Going green doesn’t mean sacrificing on style. As Abu Dhabi bans single-use plastic bags from June 1 and Dubai prepares to introduce a mandatory 25 fils charge for each single use bag from July 1, turn to the likes of Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and Chloe for trendy tote bags that offer more than enough room to carry all your essentials.

English designer Anya Hindmarch became synonymous with high-end canvas bags when she created the I’m Not A Plastic Bag tote in 2007. The piece was made in collaboration with global social change movement We Are What We Do (now known as Shift) and UK supermarket Sainsbury’s. It sold for £5 ($6), making it much more affordable than her premium pieces.

The concept has since evolved and the designer’s I Am A Plastic Bag launched in 2020. The customisable pieces use waste plastic bottles that are recovered, broken down and turned into polyester pellets. In turn, the pellets are melted into fibres, spun and woven to create the I Am A Plastic Bag tote.

“There are 8 billion tonnes of plastic on the planet, but when you throw a piece away, there is no away,” Hindmarch says.

“In a small step towards reusing what we already have, we’ve created the I Am A Plastic Bag collection. Each bag is made from an innovative new cotton canvas-feel fabric that’s created from 32 half-litre recycled plastic bottles. The fabric is then coated with recycled windscreens. Each piece is designed to never be thrown away.”

Jumbo totes have become staples of fashion week runways, with New Zealand brand Yu Mei, Supreme and Sporty & Rich all launching XXL canvas creations of their own. Here are some options for you to consider.

12 affordable but fashionable reusable canvas bags to buy: