This Affordable Bag Already Has an 1800-Person Waiting List

Sadly for budget-conscious fashion girls, bags that garner cult status tend to come with steep price tags—think J.W.Anderson or Gucci versions. But not so with the Gaias Ark Bag ($88) by Cult Gaia, which has created quite the Instagram firestorm thanks to its unique design and under-$100 price. The bag initially sold out over the summer, but it's finally back in stock on Cult Gaia's website. You better act quickly, however: The brand tells us that over 1800 people have already preordered the bag. To find out the story behind the sensation, we went straight to Cult Gaia's founder and CEO, Jasmin Larian.
Larian told Who What Wear about what inspired the now-famous bamboo bag: "It's a reproduction of a Japanese bag that was popular in the '40s," she told us. "I used to collect them and felt like the world and women needed this."
Larian was so confident in her creation that when she realized the bag was taking off with bloggers and street style stars, she wasn't surprised. "I thought that it was about time," she told us. "I think that the bag is more than just functional piece. It's beautiful on its own like a sculpture or piece of art. I'll also go as far to guarantee you that you will go nowhere with the ark without being stopped on the street." Swipe up the bag today and see if she's right.
Scroll down to see how bloggers have styled the bag, and shop it for yourself!
How would you style this bag? Tell us in the comments below!

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.
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