The Enduring Appeal of the Basket Bag

When Jane Birkin started carrying her belongings in a wicker picnic basket in the late 1960s, it was quite a radical moment. Basket bags can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, when weaving played a central role in communities throughout the world from Ghana to Provence. However, Birkin really repositioned it from an item for transporting produce into a fashion accessory, even wearing one on the red carpet at Cannes. Pictures of Birkin and her baskets still fuel Pinterest every summer, 60 years on.

Fast forward to 2025, and basket bags have become a powerful product offering for every luxury design house. Valentino’s raffia Viva Superstar is £1390, a woven Loewe Puzzle costs £1350 and a Saint Laurent logo-adorned tote passes the £4000 mark. So, how has the humble basket rebranded from a practical market bag to something with a four-figure price tag?

A selection of modern-day basket bags from designers including Miu Miu and Prada.

The first woven bags were created by brands like Los Doradas as a cheaper alternative to leather in the wake of WWII in the 1950s, when casual handbags came to the fore. This was a period when designers were experimenting with materials in response to the leather shortage; in 1947, Gucci launched its now-signature bamboo bag, with curved handles crafted from bamboo imported from Japan.

Although born from austerity, these bags gradually became associated with resortwear throughout the decade, as The White Lotus types of the time began carrying the "Nantucket bag" to the beach. Its creator, weaver José Formoso Reyes, moved to the island off Cape Cod after the war, and added a lid, straps and even embellishments to traditional baskets, transforming them into handbags that then made their way to elegant coastlines such as the French Riviera. At the time of writing, Reyes originals were priced between £3500 and £4700, highlighting their exclusivity.

Top left: French actress Brigitte Bardot carries a basket bag in Saint Tropez, France in July 1974. Bottom left: An original José Formoso Reyes "Nantucket" bag. Bottom right: British and French actress Jane Birkin carries a basket bag at the premiere of Slogan in Paris, France in August 1969.

Steadily, designers began experimenting with straw, raffia and woven fabrications. In the Coach archive, you’ll find early takes on basket bags with leather handles, whilst the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Sonia Rykiel and Jean Paul Gaultier all dabbled in woven bags. For spring/summer 2010, Karl Lagerfeld introduced a wicker Chanel bag with the house’s signature double CC logo—a significant moment in the history of the luxury basket bag.

Model Karlie Kloss carries a basket bag during Chanel's spring/summer 2010 runway show in Paris, France in October 2009.

Traditional basketweaving techniques were also the inspiration behind Bottega Veneta’s Intrecciato woven-leather bags, which celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. "In 1960s Italy, the market was dominated by heavy, stiff and structured handbags," Barbara Zanin, Bottega Veneta’s director of craft and heritage, explained to Vogue. "[Our] designs were characterised by their great softness—the bags were fluid, supple, simple. The introduction of the Intrecciato gave the bags a fluidity, almost like a fabric."

The man who really changed the game when it comes to basket bags, however, is undoubtedly Jonathan Anderson, who introduced the first Loewe basket bag in 2017. "I collect a lot of baskets myself, and within the foundation, we have a lot of very important examples of baskets from around the world," the designer said about his appreciation for the craft of weaving. The original iteration of the Loewe basket has a traditional, hand-woven body made in Spain using raffia leaves that are cultivated, harvested, sun-dried and woven by artisans in Morocco, with tan leather straps and a calfskin patch embossed with the house’s logo. Since then, Loewe has been inspired by woven baskets from across the world and has launched its Weave, Restore, Renew program, which commissions Spanish artisans to restore antique baskets, adding a Loewe twist.

A selection of content creators with various Loewe basket bag designs.

This handbag launch was a strategic commercial decision, as it enabled those who can't afford one of the brand's leather bags the chance to buy a (clearly branded) Loewe bag. As designer perfumes and lipsticks show, entry-level purchases have a significant influence over a brand’s bottom line.

First launching in the spring/summer 2018 collection, prices for a Loewe basket started at £375, and the piece quickly became a regular feature on The Lyst Index of hottest products, sparking a wave of copycat bags. In 2025, raffia remains ever-present in the core offering at Loewe, with new iterations and spins every season as part of the ongoing collaboration with Ibizan fashion boutique, Paula’s. The prices, however, have escalated as demand has soared.

Content creator @theindiaedit documents using her Prada basket bag whilst on holiday.

Now, it’d be more efficient to tell you which luxury design houses don’t produce a raffia logo-adorned bag than those that do. Honourable mentions from recent seasons include Jacquemus’s gigantic Le Grande Baci straw tote, which has cartoonish proportions, making it almost as big as the wearer. In 2023, Prada’s raffia bag, which was available in a range of ice-lolly shades as well as neutral straw, became the bag of the summer, whilst Saint Laurent’s leather-trimmed raffia bags are a regular sighting at Hotel du Cap near Cannes.

Top left: British actress Sienna Miller carries a Sézane basket bag in Los Angeles, California in June 2024. Bottom right: British model and presenter Alexa Chung carries a basket bag during London Fashion Week in London, United Kingdom in February 2017.

The story of the basket bag really started with a celebrity endorsement, as it was the original Birkin bag before Hèrmes released the official Birkin. Alexa Chung is perhaps one of Jane Birkin’s biggest style fans, and so it’s not surprising that she has helped drive the basket-bag agenda. She attended the Chanel show in 2010 in a tweed jacket and a boxy hamper-style handbag with an exaggerated Chanel logo. Since then, Chung has shown that basket bags aren’t simply for trips to the beach or picnics in the park, but rather a year-round staple. At London Fashion Week in February 2017, she channelled Birkin herself and wore a simple woven market bag with her wool coat, rain be damned.

Another modern-day muse whose style has become synonymous with the basket bag is Sienna Miller. I can think of several archival images of the actress carrying a top-handle basket, but most recently, she’s been seen with the Justine tote from French brand Sézane on her arm.

Content creator @_loissterling carries a brown Dragon Diffusion basket bag.

It is no coincidence that the rise in basket bags comes at a time when there's a wider appreciation for crafts and artisans. Whilst wicker baskets have proved big business for luxury design houses, they have also helped little-known brands achieve cult status. Dragon Diffusion is one such success story, with its fashion-person-favourite bags carried by countless editors, influencers and even Ashley Olsen.

Last summer, its Nantucket bag earned a spot on the aforementioned Lyst Index report of hottest products, alongside power players such as Prada and Saint Laurent. These woven-leather bags are all inspired by the traditional craft of basketry work, and Dragon Diffusion is keen to keep this heritage alive. The first signs of woven leather originated in coastal areas of the Balkans, says its website. "There is evidence of trade in woven leather sandals from [Stari Grad] on Hvar island with Greek traders," it explains.

Whether you opt for a leather woven bag by Dragon Diffusion, a Loewe raffia style or a market bag from your next island holiday, these bags all look better when they're a little lived-in, with sand caught in the cracks and suncream splashes on the handles. Follow the Jane Birkin philosophy and remember this isn’t a bag to be precious about—a basket is at its best when over-stuffed.

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