Bag, handbag

This cotton shopping bag was designed by Anya Hindmarch as part of a collaboration with Sainsbury's and the global change movement 'We are What We Do'. The tote was chosen as the goodie-bag for guests at the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar night party in February 2007 before being made available for £5 in March through a few stores and websites. Photographs of celebrities such as the models Lily Cole and Erin O' Connor and the actress Keira Knightley with the bag increased its popularity.

On 25 April 20,000 bags were sold in Sainsbury's supermarkets. Although customers could only buy one each, the bags sold out within an hour. Many customers resold their bags for up to £200 on ebay, where high-prized fakes were also became available. There was a similar reaction when the bags were subsequently launched outside the UK. The blue writing on this bag shows that it is the US edition. There were four other colours.

The collaborators wanted to provide a stylish and affordable alternative to plastic bags. There was some criticism as the bags were made in China and were neither organic nor fair trade. The people behind the bags claimed that they were made in a factory "deemed ethical", that the project was carbon-offset, and that the main reason behind the project was to raise awareness about the damage plastic bags can do to the environment.