How basket bags became the accessory of the summer

The gap between fashion and interiors is closing at pace.

You only have to look at the success of H&M Home or the pink suede-lined squares of Instagram to see that. While we once were happy to keep the two worlds separate — see magnolia-washed walls and a wardrobe stacked with fluoro-yellow with no questions asked — society now demands that our personal style choices play out harmoniously, with our choice of bathroom floor reflecting the star pieces in our handbag collection and vice versa. 

This summer’s most wanted accessory, a handbag that bears more than a passing resemblance to the trend for macramé hanging baskets, is a fine example. Half bag, half planter, it certainly works as well on your living room shelving unit as it does in the crook of your arm. 

Undoubtedly, this is a continuation of the trend for basket and string bags that sprang up last summer. Net-A-Porter, which loves a spot of consumer behaviour analysis, was quick to identify our collective demand for woven accessories, tracing basket mania back to Loewe — its raffia bags sold in their thousands on the site last season. 

The retailer has gone long on the look this summer too, with a beachy “market stall find” vibe among the defining features of its key high-summer accessories remit. It helps, of course, that the most exciting bag labels coming through right now are big on woven styles. 

Among the favourites is LA-based Cult Gaia, which offers vintage-inspired styles. Cesta Collective, founded by Courtney Fasciano and Erin Ryder with the idea of empowering women, produces beautifully crafted bags that are handmade by female artisans in Rwanda using traditional techniques, and finished in New York. 

The high street, of course, has been quick to follow suit, with Asos and Zara among others going big on baskets this season. Zara’s range includes a natural cord bucket bag, which is certain to make its way into suitcases bound for far-flung destinations this summer. But this look shouldn’t be confined to the beach — the planter bag works in the city too. Not least as an accompaniment for denim but for the office too. A macramé shoulder bag looks ace slung over the shoulder of a wide-leg trouser suit, while a hand-held basket adds a much needed hit of summer to a little black dress. 

Undoubtedly, it’s a style with growing appeal.