Battenwear Packable Tote – Oi Polloi Exclusive

These are really strange days we’re living in. The planet needs our help and in typically fusty English style, our answer is to charge people 5 pence for a bag to carry their shopping in. In even more typically English fashion, some shops have been forced to put security tags on their bags because they’re being stolen. You couldn’t make it up.

What’s the solution then? Do we all dig out those screwed up bags that live in the drawer below the cutlery drawer? Do we bite the bullet and pay 5p a time for a bag that’s destined for landfill anyway? Or do we use it as the perfect excursion to assert our superior sartorial solution finding abilities?

You know the answer. This exclusive tote bag will house your groceries, or if you’re unhealthy like me, you can probably fit upwards of 5 cans of diet coke, half a dozen packets of biscuits and perhaps a pot noodle in it. Like the man who is unable to pronounce the letters ‘f’ and ‘t’, you can’t say fairer than that.

Produced by Shinya of Battenwear, initially as a handy tradeshow giveaway, they’re adaptable, affordable and durable. They’re also exclusive to our pals at Oi Polloi, whose motif also features on them.

“A couple of seasons ago, we started making packable totes for the wholesale buyers who came to our showroom. We used fabric leftover from past seasons, and these were like give away thank yous to the people who came to see our collections” says Battenwear‘s main head Shinya.

“The team at Oi Polloi apparently really liked them too, so we decided to make a special version for them, using a rip-stop nylon, one of my favorite fabrics we used for Fall/Winter 2015.”

“I really, really like how the Oi Polloi Packable Tote turned out, actually. I had one made for me, and I’ve been using it a lot.” he adds, presumably before skipping off to the grocery store, swinging his bag around in the air.

Avoid getting drawn into this silly carrier bag nonsense and instead get yourself one of these ripstop beauties.

Edit: Wrote this yesterday. They’re sold out now but I’m publishing it anyway, just to do your head in.