Anya Hindmarch is not your average designer. Whether it’s a Perello olives can clutch bag, Neurofen or ketchup keyring, Polo Mints leather pencil case or Rice Crispies tote bag, her eponymous label is all about making fashion fun.
Since launching in 1987, her most recognisable and important design hasn’t been a £2,000 handbag, but a £5 cotton canvas tote. In 2007, she launched the now-iconic “I Am Not a Plastic Bag” in Sainsburys – nearly 100,000 sold on launch day and the project led to the government’s decision to charge shoppers for plastic bags.
When Noughties-It girls Kiera Knightly and Sienna Miller stepped out with the supermarket tote, the fashion status of the “I Am Not a Plastic Bag” was sealed. Its impact was huge – with the number of plastic bag sold in the UK dropping from 10.6 billion to 6.1 billion.
From her playfully kitsch accessories to luxury signature collections (think smooth leather crossbody bags and suede shoulder bags), sustainability has continued to be at the heart of Hindmarch’s brand. In 2021, she launched the Universal Bag – a next-gen tote crafted from 100 per cent recycled materials and sold at Waitrose and Sainsburys.
But the problem of single-use plastic bags still persists. Between April 2024 and April 2025, 437 million single-use plastic bags were sold in UK retailers – a 7 per cent increase from the previous year. And so, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Universal Bag is officially back.
Launching at Ocado at the end of the month, Anya Hindmarch’s latest installment of the “I Am Not a Plastic Bag” project will cost just £13. Here’s everything you need to know.
This is one of the most affordable designer bags you can own
