Supermarket Aldi has released a new haute-couture collection for London Fashion Week, made out of black bin bags. The new fashion line titled, ‘Trash-Chic’, has been designed to take aim at the expensive high-fashion industry and showcase that true style doesn’t need to cost the earth.
Aldi teamed up with designer, Ethan Leyland, to create the new looks using the supermarket’s Everyday Essentials Refuse Sacks, made from 60% recycled plastic and costing just £1.25 a roll.
Modelled outside London Fashion Week this morning, fashionistas were left gobsmacked as they were fooled into believing the new designs were created by a high-end fashion house. Video captured by Aldi’s Social Team shows ‘in-the-know’ fashion fans praising Aldi’s looks, before they were revealed to be bin bags from the supermarket.
One fan claimed:
“I just love what the piece is doing, it really speaks to me”, whilst another praised the bin bag looks as “so avant-garde! Where can I get my hands on the collection?”.
The bin bag dresses were showcased by two models around Soho, complete with a bag accessory, also made from bin bags. The models caused a frenzy of activity with passersby this morning, with London Fashion Week goers desperate to get a glimpse of what was going on.
Ethan Leyland is a womenswear designer who has previously created looks for the likes of Bjork, Jourdan Dunn and Jessica Chastain. Him and his team spent over 270 hours working on the designs, using over 100 Aldi bin bags in the final products. Ethan said:
“As soon as Aldi approached me with this project, I knew I had to get involved – it’s been some of my best work creating these looks out of just bin bags and I’ve loved seeing the reaction to them. We’ve taken London Fashion Week by storm!”
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK,said:
“When we labelled our Everyday Refuse Sacks as suitable for a variety of household uses, we really did mean it – from lining your bin, to becoming a runway-ready creation!"
“At Aldi, we always look to offer our customers great value, and we’ve shown we can do this even when it comes to high-end fashion. Last year we took on Moschino, recreating its celery bag for a fraction of the price, and this year we’re taking it to one of the biggest fashion events of the year, with looks that only cost £1.25. Our new ‘Trash-Chic’ range is a testament to affordable chic, proving that we’ve turned affordability into an art form!”
