Telfar Is Selling a "Plastic" Bag for $195
“Never beating the plastic bag allegations,” reads the text on a video posted to Telfar’s TikTok Wednesday. He is referring to his iconic, cult-favorite shopping bags, dubbed the “Bushwick Birkin” are faux leather, which have stirred up controversy in the past around whether a “plastic bag” is worth the price. The bags are 50% polyurethane, 50% polyester, and a fraction of the price of most luxury handbags, retailing in the low hundreds, depending on size. But New York-based designer Telfar Clemens, who just celebrated his 20th anniversary, is in on the joke—and is offering a rebuttal. Beneath the video’s banner revolves a dressed up plastic shopping bag—the latest provocative purse offering from the brand that turned the luxury handbags on its head.
A rare new release for the brand, this is Telfar’s more substantial take on the New York City plastic bag, now that they are no longer in use— “a forever take on the city’s most iconic disposable silhouette,” reads the press release. “NYC banned plastic bags in 2020, the same year we exited the fashion industry." That was the year Telfar restructured its business to work on a singular drop model and to operate on its own calendar versus that of the industry. "The city switched up because the bags are disposable—we left because we never were—but plastic is forever.” The bags are made to carry anything and everything, for “takeout, make out, cookout. Waterproof and 80 proof.”
person holding a drink and a bag in front of a furniture store
The new Telfar plastic(-coated nylon) bag takes the shape of a grocery bag, double-lined with ruched elastic handles. Its generous interior features two deep side pockets that fit water bottles, a zip pocket, slit pocket, and hidden stash pocket. The style comes in two sizes: the regular, which can fit a 13” laptop, and the carry-on-sized jumbo. They retail for $148 and $195, respectively. Shoppers can choose from 11 Telfar prints that riff on those of classic NYC shopping bags, like the yellow smiley face or the “Thank you for shopping” slogan, but the trademark sign has been replaced with a Telfar T inside a C.
shopping bag
The styles will launch on Telfar’s website today, August 15th, and will be available to shop in-person in their New York flagship store next week. Now, you can snag your disposable bag and wear it for seasons to come. That’s the thing with plastic; it lasts forever—just like Telfar.
