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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Leah Harper

Everyday excess: what’s the deal with fashion’s obsession with supermarkets?

A beige-coloured bag with a transparent window with an replica croissant inside, and the Lidl logo
Eat the rich … Nik Bentel’s Lidl croissant bag. Photograph: fashion

Have you ever felt more stylish than when popping out for a pint of semi-skimmed milk? No? Well, that is surprising – because supermarkets and their produce are one of fashion’s greatest muses. This week, Moschino launched its Sedano bag – a celery-shaped clutch that first appeared on catwalks earlier in the year. In response, the UK supermarket, Aldi touted its 75p celery sticks as a cheaper alternative to the $4,470 (£3,730) leather purse, posting a photo on Facebook with the caption: “Your move Moschino, but we do have a whole veg aisle.”

Earlier this year, artist and designer Nikolas Bentel’s £50 croissant bag, inspired by Lidl’s all-butter pastry, sold out. Leather, with a coin purse (and a Lidl-branded trolley coin in the zipper), the paper-bag-style handbag featured a roll-top – as if freshly scrunched en route to the checkout. Last year, JW Anderson, whose designs are a favourite on red carpets, sent a model down the catwalk in a dress seemingly made of Tesco carrier bags. In fact, T-shirts riffing on the Tesco logo, on which the supermarket’s name is replaced with the word “Disco” or “Techno”, seem to hold timeless appeal.

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