In the streets this summer, a white shopping bag is intriguing: it looks like it came from a supermarket, but the shadow of a Birkin or a Speedy appears there in trompe-l’oeil. On Instagram, the looks follow one another with him. The name Grocery Bag comes up everywhere.
Part supermarket tote, part luxury it-bag, this bag designed by Filipino designer Xylk Lorena, based in Toronto, plays on the contrast between banal and desirable. Since 2022, he has been printing real-size silhouettes of iconic bags on simple shopping bags, transforming the practical accessory into a fashion phenomenon.
The Grocery Bag, a trompe-l’oeil shopping bag that has become the it-bag of summer 2026
Visually, a Grocery Bag keeps everything from a shopping bag: soft plastic, generous size. But its handles and its full-size print are reminiscent of the Hermès Birkin or the Louis Vuitton Speedy. A bag merged with the aura of an it-bag, in a very confident trompe-l’oeil.
Behind the visual joke, the object remains useful: light, foldable, large enough for the computer, files or swimsuit. Sold for around 50 dollars, or around $46, the six models available are sold in minutes, in line with viral accessories like the Jelly Firkin or the Wirkin.
Xylk Lorena, the creator behind Grocery Bags
This cult tote bag is designed by Xylk Lorena, a designer born in the Philippines and based in Toronto, where he developed the LiFE DESiGN label with Fisayo Olowolafe. A fan of streetwear, hip-hop culture and unaffordable luxury bags, he imagines his Grocery Bags as a joyful way of appropriating these codes.
In 2022, his first drop met with dazzling success online. In 2023, Hermès took legal action for copyright infringement: the Shopify store closed and Xylk Lorena’s Instagram account, followed by more than 20,000 subscribers, was deleted. The designer bounces back with six new bags, without logos but just as satirical, seen even in the series.
How to adopt the Grocery Bag this summer 2026
If fashion buffs love them, it’s because the Grocery Bag perfectly embodies the anti-luxury aesthetic of the moment. After the deliberately damaged sneakers or the XXL bags, this supermarket shopping bag elevated to the rank of it-bag brings a good dose of self-mockery. Wear it with jeans and sneakers, a flowing dress or a light suit.
On the practical side, everything is played out on the Xylk Lorena online store: each drop of bags priced around 40 to 50 dollars, or around $37 to $46, is sold out in minutes. European fashionistas are banking on international delivery or resale, others are inspired by the concept with diverted shopping bags like the Jelly Firkin, the Wirkin or a simple customized supermarket bag.
What is a Grocery Bag?
A plastic shopping bag printed like a luxury bag.
Why is the Grocery Bag creating a buzz?
It mixes humor, anti-luxury and practicality, while recalling iconic it-bags.
Where can you buy a Grocery Bag?
On the Xylk Lorena online store, during limited drops.
