In the bag

The Banane Taipei started as a sassy take on the craze for designer bags, but over the past nine months, the NT$1,480 canvas tote has garnered its own celebrity following, cult status and a waiting list. Printed with an image of a satchel that resembles the Hermes Birkin bag, the Banane Taipei seems to parody status bags. Its creators insist, however, that it is meant as an affectionate tribute. The tote was created as the first product of Banana International (嬌蕉國際), a fledgling lifestyle brand that plans to manufacture all its products in small Taiwanese factories. “We’re honoring a classic while promoting the idea of environmental responsibility,” says Chu Yun-kuang (朱韻光), marketing director for the Banane Taipei. The four sides of the bag, which was created as a reusable shopping tote, are printed with images of a leather satchel to create a trompe l’oeil effect. (While the satchel resembles a Hermes Birkin, Chu says it is actually a photo composite of other bags and leather textures.) The result is an image so realistic that you want to reach out and touch the gold buckle to make sure it isn’t three-dimensional. After its release in April, the Banane Taipei quickly gained in popularity when paparazzi photographed talk show host Dee Hsu (徐熙娣, aka Little S) carrying an orange version. Mentions on English-language style blogs helped it gain an international customer base. At its peak, the bag’s waiting list was four months. A sale at the company’s office in Da-an District last month resulted in a long line snaking out the door; Chu estimates that 200 customers came to purchase bags.