What woman in her right mind would use a McDonald’s happy meal box as a handbag? And yet, replicas of the famous box were among fashion designer Jeremy Scott’s over-the-top junk food-inspired autumn-winter 2014 collection (left).
Presented during Milan Fashion Week earlier this year, the line paid homage to nineties American brands such as Froot Loops, Cheetos, Hershey’s and SpongeBob SquarePants, inspiring some but inflaming others, including McDonald’s staff who earn minimum wages. They thought it tasteless to flaunt the red-and-yellow quilted fast-food bag stamped with a heart-shaped M-for-Moschino motif and selling it for $1,265 (about Dh4,646), the Daily Mail reported.
Inspired by edibles
More tasteful food-inspired fashion items hail from the Middle East, where the Lebanese label Sarah’s Bag makes women’s handbags shaped like the traditional Lebanese street breads kaakeh and manoushe. They are handmade by women prisoners in Lebanon.
“The Lebanese love kaakeh more than anything. It is their pretzel, their simit, their croissant,” says Joumana Accad, food blogger at Tasteofbeirut.com.
Iconic carry-on
Sarah’s Bag founder Sarah Beydoun (above) says she likes to honour national symbols in her creations, so it makes sense to celebrate icons of Lebanese gastronomy. “Anything can be an inspiration for a handbag. It’s a statement piece that should stand out,” she says.
“Sometimes inspiration can come from childhood memories such as Bonjus fruit juice packets or kaakeh or the poetry of Nizar Qabbani.”
According to her website, the printed canvas kaakeh bag looks “like freshly baked bread in your hand without the extra calories on your hips”.
George Kalloghlian, a 57-year-old Dubai resident of Lebanese descent, says the bread has a special place in Lebanese hearts. He quips that the bags are so realistic, he hopes people don’t start eating them before checking the material.
Beydoun’s breads might not fill you up, but they won’t burn through your savings — the kaakeh sells for $60 apiece, while the printed canvas manoushe bag sells at $85.
