How Trader Joe’s totes became a status symbol across the pond

On a recent stroll through trendy East London, 25-year-old operations associate Jay Dix noticed something uncanny: everyone was dressed just like him. Every matcha-carrying creative was parading a canvas tote bag from the U.S. budget grocery store Trader Joe’s, treating it with the reverence of a 24-karat gold Labubu doll.

“I was getting nods from fellow Trader Joe’s wearers on the street in London,” says Dix. “It’s like a members' club.” He had been collecting bags from the grocery store since 2022, on his annual visits to family in Los Angeles, and believed he was ahead of the curve. “I hate to be the 'I knew about them before they were cool person, but now everyone’s got them.’”