R.A.G. New York

I had taken an interest in sustainable design long before it was trendy, hip, and commercial, and found that many ethical designers were returning to products made out of reusable and environmentally material. These materials ranged from recycled plastic bottles to canvas cloth which there is always a cheap plethora of. It was during this time of sustainable exploration that fashion design was becoming stagnant and overrun with luxury goods that were expensive, flashy, and exclusive. In an attempt to keep abreast of the times, the fashion world was quick to embrace environmentally safe design as their newest fad; high quality clothes were out and cheap design was in. The most notable changes came from the accessories and product portions of the fashion world, and the canvas tote bag is the best way to illustrate the changes in the fashion world.

Now you might be saying to yourself: Canvas Tote Bags in High Fashion? Ludicrous. Well I will have to respectfully disagree, with evidence of course. Coach fashion has recently launched a competition entitled “Design a Coach Tote”. Below is an excerpt from the contest details:

“We’re looking for a truly inspired and unique design to feature on our next Coach tote. Start from scratch or include any of our iconic elements. You can win a Coach shopping spree, party, or see your design as a limited edition item in select Coach stores”

There are two things going on here with Coach’s competition that you fashionistas, designers, and trendsetters should take note of. The first is that Coach is following the web 2.0 inspired, community content idea. This idea revolves around the notion that people will naturally come together and create great things; this goes against most luxury branding ideology which essentially says that only a few and privileged can dictate what to wear, how to think, and how to act. Coach is also making using of the canvas tote bags popularity in mainstream society. The keyword in the previous sentence being ‘mainstream’; this is one of the first and most recent examples of luxury brands thrusting themselves into the mainstream design world with ‘low’ fashion in order to bolster sales. The trade off of course, is the loss of respect for a high quality brand name and it is very much a double edged sword. With canvas tote bags now being sponsored by companies such as Coach, what’s next? Gucci recycled backpacks? Dolce graphic t shirts? Feel free to send in your thoughts, questions, opinions, and answers.