For discerning consumers, the shopping bags they leave a store with on their arm indicate an aspirational status, demonstrate taste, and are seen as a status symbol. That is why luxury brands pay close attention to their bags and seek out high-quality ‘Instagrammable’ options to raise their profile. However, the variety of options presented at London Packaging Week 2025 means any retailer or brand can take their pick of shopping bag that appeals to their target consumers.
When talking about shopping bags, you immediately think of American department store Bloomingdale’s and its ‘Little Brown Bag’ or perhaps the blue bag with a white ribbon that is synonymous with Tiffany & Co.
Apple’s bags have a sleek, minimal design offset with a soft-touch finish and rope handles, while Nike has previously opted for sustainable paper bags made of kraft or recycled paper emblazoned with a bold swoosh logo.
Even Swedish furniture giant IKEA has its instantly recognisable blue Frakta bag. This giant reusable polypropylene bag features the contrasting yellow IKEA branding and has become iconic around the world – from carrying shopping and doing laundry to days out at the beach.
What about you and your brand? How are you making a mark on the high street and transforming your packaging into a must-have accessory?
Multiple exhibitors at London Packaging Week 2025 are on hand to help you do exactly that.
From the most luxurious shopping bags with high-end finishes to innovative new materials rooted in the circular economy, there’s an option for all.
Grab and go
RTR Bag New York (J58) has been supplying luxury retailers and manufacturers for over 30 years. Its bags are used by a wide variety of high-end brands and internationally renowned organisations and institutions. From high-end fashion brands Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger and boutique clothing and footwear brands such as A.K. Rikks, Buscemi, and Scoop NYC, to retailers Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s and even art institutions Guggenheim and The Whitney.
These bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are made from a wide range of materials. They can be decorated using different print and finishing techniques.
The range of bags from RX Industrial (H10) are available in custom sizes and designs. They are made using a range of materials, such as FSC-certified white kraft paper, coated paper, recycled silver paper, and metallic embossed paper. They can be printed in four or five colours and finished with a soft-touch varnish, embossed/debossed, foiling, or flocking to enhance their visual appeal.
Retail Pak (G32) similarly offers fully customisable paper bags with a luxury twist that make them sophisticated, attention-grabbing, and distinctive.
Laminated luxury bags from Sutton Packaging (F60) are manufactured according to each customer’s design requirements and specifications. A bespoke printing service allows bags to be fully customised (minimum order of 1000 units) or foil overprinted (minimum order of 250 units).
A-frame bags from Curtis Packaging (F70) are another option. Using an elegant flap design, made from premium materials, and featuring thoughtful finishing touches, they are made to feel like part of the product – not just packaging. From luxurious ribbon handles to secure tuck-lock closures, every detail is customisable to suit a brand’s style and enhance the gifting experience.
A-frame bags can be tailored in size to perfectly fit the product and are available in a wide range of materials and with a number of different finishes, including foiling and embossing.
Sai Devi (H28) specialises in the design, development and production of sustainable packaging, accessories, and promotional items for beauty and cosmetics brands. This includes sports bags, makeup pouches, shoulder bags, tote bags, and promotional lines. Its luxury bags come in classic and contemporary shapes, with delicate and bold colours. The company creates original designs and is constantly researching new materials that enhance the environmental performance of its bags.
Reuse and recycle
Given their perceived status and high visibility, it is little surprise that shopping bags are being designed sustainable and to embrace circularity. This is a prerequisite today of any brand or retailer and demanded by consumers.
Durability and reusability are being prioritised in many instances, with recovered and upcycled raw materials increasingly used.
An example of this is RTR Bag’s work with Guggenheim for its EnviroChic bags, which are made of recycled materials, as is the company’s work with Bloomingdale’s to develop a more durable and reusable version in its ‘Brown Bag’ series.
Gadsby (G38) is a B-Corp Certified business with accredited supply chains. The business places a focus on reusability and prides itself on using sustainable materials to create solutions that embrace circular economy principles.
Within this is a range of bespoke bags. These can be made from jute, cotton, and juco – a 75/25% jute-cotton blend – and all options are strong and durable. Bags are custom designed and can be further customised with bespoke linings, cut-outs, zips, and labels.
As a global supplier of high-quality cover materials, Activa Italia (J82) emphasises environmental sustainability. Its products are certified to international standards such as the Global Recycling Standard (GRS), FSC, EU REACH/RoHS, and CA65 – a law in the US state of California requiring businesses to warn the public about exposure to chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm.
Specifically, Activa Italia’s Muse Thermo PU product line is available in bio-based (corn-derived) and antimicrobial (99.9% surface protection) versions.
Favini (H40) produces natural fibre-based cover materials for the luxury and fashion industries. Upcycling is at the heart of Favini’s philosophy, founded on the principles of the circular economy and creative reuse. The company seeks out alternative solutions using by-products as the raw material in the production of low impact and quality papers, such as Alga Carta, Remake and most recently Refit, as well as renewable annual crops such as Tree Free that uses 25% cotton linters and 75% bamboo.
Another is Crush, which is created using 15% recovered agro-industrial waste: Crush Oliva specifically uses the recovered solid remains of olives (pomace) left by the oil extraction process.
Montagne (J22) also prioritises upcycling of raw and recycled content into high-quality packaging, so reducing the use of new resources. This ethos is applied to the sustainable shopping bags, boxes and pouches it offers. Examples include 100% recyclable products made from Winter & Company’s Pure Skivertex paper and Kamosho, which is fabric made from upcycled bottles and PU to look and feel like suede.
Winter & Company has also developed Toile Ocean as a sustainable cover material. It is woven from 100% recycled plastic waste and coated with a water-based acrylic, making it extremely durable. At the same time, the naturally mottled fabric feels very high-quality to touch. It is available in six colours and can be offset printed and finished with screen printing and foil stamping.
Similarly, Seaman Paper (H20) originated Vela, the first ever lightweight paper bag for apparel packaging that is suitable for use across the entire the supply chain, from the factory to the consumer.
Vela bags are offered as an alternative to plastic poly bags, and are manufactured to be durable, strong, and weather resistant. These bags are made using 100% wood fibre that is fully FSC-certified and traceable. They can be fully recycled in the existing paper recycling streams. They can also be customised and printed using water-based inks.
Movopack (H52) is circular, returnable packaging made from recycled materials for e-commerce and in-store retail. These products are designed to cut waste, lower costs, and elevate the delivery and shopping experience with packaging that can be reused up to 20 times.
Consumers receive their products in durable Movopack bags and pouches, which they can then return via postal drop-off points with a prepaid label. Movopack collects, cleans, and refurbishes these packages for reuse by the brand, reducing waste and emissions compared to single-use packaging and e-commerce shipping bags.
To secure a bag option that suits you and your products, visit London Packaging Week 2025 on 15 & 16 October at Excel in London.