A toast to totes: how the canvas tote evolved from utilitarian carrier to coveted catch-all
a deep dive into our enduring obsession with the structured canvas bag
As of last month, I own a Trader Joe’s mini canvas tote bag. Its tan body and cherry red straps aren’t even the allure of it. Just the Trader Joe’s embroidery on the front. And the fact that it was $2.99 and that it went viral and sold out of stores (probably nationwide?) within days.
A video of Trader Joe’s customers hounding a display of the downright impractically-sized totes garnered over four million views on TikTok. People love Trader Joe’s and they love this tote bag.
An in-depth marketing analysis of the virality of the Trader Joe’s bag isn’t needed here. Simply studying the origins of this simple and classic tote structure shows that a structured canvas tote has always been ‘in’ and its popularity stands the test of time.
Origins of a classic:
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