Backfill · 2025
#117 of 383Tote Bag as Identity
seq 4
ObserverEveryday noticingfashionfascination
identity self expressioncustomization personalization
NoticingActionGroup Security3/9
ImagePress/product shot
Press shot: a collection of cotton tote bags hanging on wall hooks, showing various logos and designs from bookstores, museums, and coffee shops, with the canvas texture and screen-printed graphics visible.
81 words
The cotton tote bag has become the default accessory for a specific demographic, and the logos printed on them function as tribal identifiers more than the bags themselves function as bags. A New Yorker tote says one thing. A Trader Joe's tote says another. A plain canvas one from a craft fair says a third. A bag designed to replace plastic grocery bags has become a status object where a limited-edition bookstore tote sells for $30. That's fascinating.