As if to minimize the impact of social insensitivity, the luxury market has “reduced” its obsessions to bag tags, from the cute-monster menagerie to miniature depictions of iconic bags. Welcome to the era of Labubu and luxe bag tags, not least of which is the current rage, the Swatch x Audemars Piguet phenomenon.

This latest craze supersedes the Trader Joe’s frenzy, where long lines were seen again in key cities across the globe. In some instances, altercations and minor violence were witnessed by all, leaving the spectator wondering what intense appeal these pop watch tags hold.

Hype hound

A most perplexing obsession, perhaps more than the Labubu craze, is the Trader Joe’s canvas tote, which has had people lining for miles to get their hands on them.

At initially $2.99 to $3.99, these bags at some point blew up on social media and became a status symbol in cities like Tokyo, New York, London and, yes, Manila.

A miniature version of the classic canvas bag went viral on TikTok, causing shoppers to line up outside stores across the United States before opening hours to snatch them in colors like navy, green and pink.

I have not traveled to the US in years, but somehow, a Trader Joe’s bag landed on my lap one family gathering ago. I expected to feel a little thrill to course through me, but what I held in my hands just felt like the many canvas bags that crowd my shelves, just as sturdy and certainly less basic. I wondered what the hype was all about.

Because Trader Joe’s only exists in America, carrying one of these bags in other countries perhaps signals that you have traveled abroad or have connections in the States. Then again, I wondered if it was a statement from the irrepressible Gen Z on the state of the world — economic, environmental and social. “This generation and even fashion followers have “embraced the bags as a sleek, practical and highly customizable alternative to traditional luxury purses,” as one article says. It’s like toting the exact opposite of what Hermes, Chanel, or Dior represent.

Resale game

What it is, I think, is a testament to marketing genius. At a time of great change driven by global events, technological breakthroughs and social awareness, the rise of a simple grocery bag into an international “status symbol” can be seen as a statement of relevance, perhaps a way to advocate simplicity against the chaos of the world.

Undeniably, however, it has been social media that helped build the tote’s appeal, and its scarcity made it even more desirable.

This gave resellers a chance to rake it in, as demand in countries without the grocery chain has led people to pay the exorbitant prices, “sometimes ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands,” reports say, just to own a Trader Joe’s tote.

If one were ever puzzled about those long lines outside Hermes stores in years past, it is that scarcity model that drives up desire in the luxury market.

‘Royal Pop’

The same could be said about the latest frenzy for a plastic watch that goes from P25,000 and up apiece. 

Last week, social media erupted with posts on the long lines for the opening of Swatch stores for the new Swatch x Audemars Piguet (AP) pocket watches. It was the kind of chaos and unruliness one might expect to see from crowds hoping to score limited concert tickets to global stars. 

Instead it was for small, colorful watches that people queued for days. There were those who took one look and asked, “Is it worth it?” And others who could not wait to get a piece of this “disruptive collaboration between two icons of Swiss watchmaking.”

This collection that “merges the avant-garde design of Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak and the modular ingenuity of Swatch’s vibrant POP line from the 1980s” has caused a stampede in some malls and left many, many style hounds practically salivating when it launched this month.

For AP, a legendary Swiss brand of luxury watches, this collaboration was to fund “a dedicated initiative supporting the preservation and transmission of watchmaking savoir-faire, with a focus on rare skills and the next generation of horological talent.”

As such, the watches are a feast for the eyes in their “creativity and audacity,” representing “joy and boldness” and giving every fashionista a chance to flex, some by hanging these Pop Art-inspired pieces on their high-end bags.

It is “the new Labubu,” some have declared. 

For the watchmakers, it is simply a jaunty salute — an ode to a new time, one might say. For us, watchers (pun intended), it’s a lesson on hype and the human psyche.