Tote be — or not tote be
When William Shakespeare wrote “To Be or Not To Be”, I am sure he was not thinking about Tote Bags.
But what do you see being used at grocery stores to carry items back, the last moment stashing of stuff, making a style statement across your shoulder, or the latest I saw was goodie bag as a return gift in a wedding function I attended? A Tote Bag.
It was a matter of time before the tote bag became a necessity. The tote bag or the tote as is commonly called comes in range of designs from the simple easy to use multi-use canvas tote bags to luxurious Louis Vuitton varieties. One can find a tote bag to suit any occasion, time & event.
The term tote or tate, meaning “to carry”, can be traced back to the 17th century but was not used to describe bags until 1900. It is quite possible that the word toting was used to indicate transporting items in some kind of a bag. And this ‘toting’ in bags which I am sure would not have looked at all like the kind of tote bags we have in vogue today laid the foundation of tote bags entering into our lives
As for most of the things, the United States is cited as the official birthplace of tote bag. Iconic Maine-based outdoor brand L.L.Bean debuted their “ice bag” in 1944. Still recognizable today, the large, boxy bag was cut from heavy canvas. It was created, as the name suggests, to transport ice from the car to the freezer. The bag was a hit. Anything that makes life simpler for people to drink and make merry — has to be a hit.
Nowadays, tote bags have been sold as a more eco-friendly replacement for disposable plastic bags given how they can be reused multiples times over. However, a study by the UK Environment Agency found that cotton canvas bags have to be reused at least 327 times before they can match the carbon expenditure of a single disposable plastic bag. Meanwhile, tote bags made from recycled polypropylene plastic require 26 reuses to match.
Making a statement in Style
Nothing becomes a fashion till the ladies adapt it. In the 1950s for some reason, the tote bag became a super hit with ladies who used them, that time, not for a style statement but for running errands for their homes.
In the 1960’s, tote bags really began to take off and not simply because of functionality. The tote began crossing over into fashion as well. L.L. Bean upgraded the design of their original ice bag.
It was only them a new sense of awareness crept in the society and apart from many other fashion accessories, the tote bags also started becoming popular as an accessory to go with the personality of the person carrying it.
It was during this decade that American designer Bonnie Cashin helped to bring the tote to another level. Then the trend started to make it more fashionable.
Now a tote can be found in almost every color, adorned with a variety of images: animals; iconic city scenes; and also popular figures.
The other uses
The tote continued to be used throughout the 1970’s and into the 80’s. With popularity grew the uses for totes. One such use was advertising. The advertisers felt that this was something that people keep at their homes, safely, to use whenever it is needed. What could carry a brand statement better than this if a household was to be targeted.
The tote continued to be used throughout the 1970’s and into the 80’s. With popularity grew the uses for totes. One such use was advertising. The advertisers felt that this was something that people keep at their homes, safely, to use whenever it is needed. What could carry a brand statement better than this if a household was to be targeted.
Canvas bags were cheap to produce, and it was easy to print a logo on the front and sell them as merchandise. In 1980, the famed bookstore The Strand released its iconic tote bag. The bookshop purchased black canvas duck bags in bulk, printing graphics that bore the store name, address, contact info, and it’s tag line “18 miles of books.” This bag can be seen on the arms of New Yorkers all over the city even today.
What really got me interested were the Wine Bottle Tote Carriers from Old Man Artist. The Old Man Artist, Harry Traulsen Jr., creates unique hand-drawn artistic Greeting Cards, Stationery, Invitations, Thank You Cards and Canvas Tote Bags.
His themes are whimsical caricatures of Wine Glasses, Wine Bottles, Coffee Mugs and Urban Architecture.
His themes are whimsical caricatures of Wine Glasses, Wine Bottles, Coffee Mugs and Urban Architecture.
The Old Man Artist’s stylish canvas tote bags make a unique sophisticated statement. Particularly for wine lovers who would like to carry a bottle of wine for themselves or particularly as a gift for their friends or families, the wine bottle tote carrier is a perfect accessory for the wine bottle. Old Man Artist gives a lot of emphasis on the quality of the canvas tote. And that’s why he is famous!
In fact when he launched his site www.oldmanartist.com, his satisfied patrons from press got so excited that they decided to cover this news on various sites.
So whenever you go next into a wine store, just take a look around, it is quite possible that you will find a canvas tote bag to carry your wine bottle in style. Why miss it, when you are sure people will love it.
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