TH_Fashion

Don't you know? Plastic bags are so yesterday. The latest trend in grocery shopping chic is the antithesis of the traditional disposable sack. And several companies are getting in the mix.

At the forefront of this hot-again trend is award-winning accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, who created her hotly pursued "I Am Not a Plastic Bag" to hep reduce the use of plastic bags and the residual waste they cause.

Thousands of New Yorkers lined up outside several Whole Foods supermarkets this summer, despite the torrential rain, to purchase the limited edition bag for $15. The 20,000 bags available in the New York area quickly sold out and the navy-and-white U.S. version of the canvas tote (there’s a brown and white U.K. version and a grey and white Asian model) is selling on eBay for up to $245.

"I thought it would great to use the platform of fashion to influence people," Hindmarch said. "Even if [people] buy [the bag] to sell on eBay, they're still using it as a billboard. It's making the message trendy. Then there's a tipping point when it becomes people's normal behavior. "

According to The Wall Street Journal, American consumers use 100 billion plastic bags annually and an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to produce that many plastic bags.

Kristen Graham camped out overnight to purchase the allotted limit of three "I Am Not a Plastic Bag" bags per customer from the Whole Foods on East Houston Street.

"Every little thing you can do to help the environment is worth it," the 33- year-old said. "I'm trying to stop using plastic bags and this is a fashionable bag to carry your groceries in."

Hindmarch's bags are tough to locate these days, but there are still plenty of eco-friendly options on the market. Whole Foods has a large, durable "Honey" tote for only 99 cents. At a slightly higher price point are colorful Doy bags ($19.99 - $37.90, www.doybags.com) made from recycled juice packs in the Philippines. Brooklyn also has its own line: The fruit-illustrated cotton Minus bags ($16, www.minusbags.com).