The "Beg Selimut Toto" In Malaysia Is A Luxurious Fashion Item In Milan
You probably already own one. ;)
By Tang Ruxyn — 04 Oct 2016, 04:43 PM
If you've always wanted to own high-end fashion items but would never spend that much of money on it, we have some good news!
In fact, you may not even have to spend a single cent to own a bag that looks a lot like the bags designed by European luxury fashion house Balenciaga
Images of international fashion models while walking down the Balenciaga runway show at Paris Fashion Week recently have been circulating online. It was reported that they carried fashion collective that is part of the upcoming Spring/Summer 2017 collection by Balenciaga.
If you think the bags the models were carrying look awfully familiar, it may be because you already have one of them at the corner of your house.
Yes. Those generic zip-up plastic bags that come together when you purchase selimut toto, or quilt bed sheets, are now a something that people buy to make a fashion statement.
And then there are the ones that we could easily get free, with the purchase of quilt bed sheets :p
Needless to say, Malaysians were utterly amused. Local designer Rizalman Ibrahim even joined in and poked fun at the bags.
"If you happen to buy the 'selimut toto' at Bukit Kayu Hitam, don't throw away the bags as it will be the hot new trend next year. Pack the blanket inside as well!", he wrote in reference to the shopping haven border town between Malaysia and Thailand.
Meanwhile, others began to post pictures of their "prized possessions" online as the humble 'beg toto' seemed to have made an appearance at a major world fashion and design capital.
One Mastura A Rahman even decided to take a photo of herself while posing with her now-trendy bag.
It looks like Balenciaga has a knack for making everyday products feel luxurious as seen with its "Bazar" bags
Back in March, Balenciaga launched the "Bazar" shopper bags, which bears the resemblance to the stripey market-stall shopping bags often called as "Sampeng bags" in Thailand. Locals in Thailand would use this to carry dirty washing or fruit and vegetables back from the market, while people like us may recall stuffing our dirty laundry in this bag.
Although the bags are very similar, the Sampeng bags usually cost just THB75 (RM9) for one in Thailand in comparison to Balenciaga's Bazar which comes with a very expensive price tag at EUR975 (MYR5165).
While the Thai fashion community has cried foul and raised copyright-infringement claims, the Department of Intellectual Property Thailand, however, quashed the claims immediately stating: "It's unlikely anybody can sue Balenciaga because the materials and shapes are different."