Earlier this year, a diminutive Uniqlo bag made headlines when it went wildly viral online, earning it a coveted spot on Lyst’s quarterly index of the hottest items in the fashion arena. At a mere $20, the crescent-shaped shoulder bag was the cheapest-ever product to make the cut, a rare everyman outlier among its big-name luxury counterparts. And then, in December, that heartwarming underdog story took a turn towards the downright cinematic: Lyst named it the buzziest bag of the whole year, clinching its stranglehold on the zeitgeist in the process.
All of which sort of begs the question: What on Earth made the pint-sized carry-all such a massive hit to begin with?
At first glance, Uniqlo’s shoulder bag is charmingly unassuming. But the curved silhouette was specifically designed for on-the-go storage, and once you start carrying it regularly it’s hard to revert back to the flimsier stuff. (If words alone won’t convince you, Uniqlo also features a handy lil’ video demo on its site, where the bag’s ludicrously capacious carrying capacity is on full display.) It also doesn’t hurt that it’s made from a water-repellent fabric that ensures your goods stay fly and dry if you get surprised by a sudden downpour.
Sound a little too good to be true? You’re not the only one who thinks so. For long stretches of 2023, the bag was entirely sold out, only bolstering its cult-loved reputation. This year, though, Uniqlo finally seems to be churning out enough SKUs to meet demand, including a just-dropped collaborative version blessed by the team at Marimekko, the Finnish textile gurus with a penchant for colorful, kooky patterns.
You can still snag the original in a Crayola’s box worth of tones, but the subtly-printed ‘Mekko joint might be the best update we’ve seen since the Godfather II. In this case, the numbers really aren’t lying—expect to see Uniqlo’s surprise hit at the top of the charts come next year, too.
Read the full article here
