Lifestyle

5 ridiculously expensive designer items that highly resemble Asian food and fashion [PICTURES + PRICES]

You will be shocked!

By Rumaisa Khalil Uddin

Fashion trends come and go, but through it all, some items tend to leave a lasting impression. Gucci’s kurta-like garment was one such product offering that created a buzz on social media for its uncanny resemblance. Ever since then, netizens have been on the lookout for more designer products inspired by Asian fashion and household.

Here are five designer items that appear to have drawn inspiration from the most mundane Asian household objects and Asian fashion:

1. Overpriced Long Tunics inspired by Asian Shalwar Kameez

Many brands have offered designer fashion items that resemble the traditional long tunics worn by people in South Asia.

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Gucci’s kaftan looks just like a kameez or kurta evolving in new materials and modern flowery details. However, it is being sold for $3,500. The exorbitant price tag for Gucci’s tunic (something that Asians wear every day) has attracted major mockery from social media users.

The Spanish fashion retailer Zara has also been spotted selling their spin-offs of traditional clothing. Its bright pink oversize shirt offering bears a striking resemblance to the Asian kameez.

These designer products can be bought in South Asia for $5 with pricier ones going up to $50.

2. Round Bamboo Wall Art inspired by Asian Food Tray

High-end American furniture retailer pottery barn sells a wooden art piece made with bamboo for $299. The 42″ round bamboo wall decor item looks a lot like a bilao, a traditional woven tray Filipinos use to serve food or clean rice.

The similarity doesn’t seem to be lost on Pottery Barn, which called the bilao-lookalike wall art “reminiscent of the open-air market selling baskets.”

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The bilao has been used as a trendy home decor item previously too. A social media user found a bilao listed as a “boho chic” rattan tray and “bohemian wall hanging rustic decor” priced at $38 in 2017.

This expensive decor item can be bought in Southeast Asia for $1 to $2.

3. Chic Designer Bags inspired by Asian Market staples

Netizens are wondering whether to describe this next product as haute couture or disposable chic. The title comes from the fact that these designer bags look a lot like the disposable plastic bag totes used to carry products in the Asian markets.

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The obscenely priced 2016 collection Balenciaga Bazar Bag features bold primary colors, maximal capacity, and a glossy waterproof texture. However, it is being recognized for its similarities to a bag commonly seen in Thailand’s market stalls and budget shopping malls. Business owners use a bag like the $2,000 designer tote to pack wholesale goods.

Balenciaga came out with another market chic piece in 2017 – the Blanket Square tote, which many recognized as the doppelganger of clear plastic bags that are used to pack blankets in Asia.

Similarly, Louis Vuitton’s nylon totes from its Spring/Summer 2007 collection were notably compared to the characteristic red, white, and blue nylon canvas bag that have come to symbolize Hong Kong culture.

These designer bags can be bought in Asia for $1.

4. Rattan Furniture worth a king’s ransom that costs much less in Asia

Rattan is a popular material in Southeast Asian furniture, housing, and handicraft. New appreciation for this dying craft is spearheading a nostalgic revival, especially when brands take note.

Pottery Barn’s sells a plain handwoven rattan chain priced at over $600, which highly resembles the rocking chair version we see in Asia.

Furniture quite similar to these overpriced rattan chairs can be bought in Asia for $100 to $300 (depending on the size).

5. Designer Bags inspired by Asian food

The fashion house Bottega Veneta’s bags have often been compared to traditional Malay food called the ketupat. The ketupat is diamond-shaped pockets woven by palm leaves, containing fragrant rice cake. The designer bags by Bottega Veneta features similar square tiles woven together uniformly.

Similarly, Jean-Paul Gaultier’s leaf bags in its Spring/Summer 2010 collection have been compared by netizens to Southeast Asians’ local leaf-wrapped dishes – pepes. It is an Indonesian cooking method that uses banana leaves to wrap food before steaming or grilling, a Filipino way of serving food in banana leaves.

These designer bags can be bought in Southeast Asia for $1 to $2, with a side serving of food.

What are your thoughts on this? Please share with us in the comment section below.

  • Would also like to add when Fashion brand Balenciaga introduced and 2 thousand dollar bag, which basically was same as 1 dollar IKEA bag.

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