Balenciaga's $2,145 bag is just like Ikea's 99 cent tote

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by madstudent

Story highlights Couture brand Balenciaga has released a $2,145 blue tote bag

It looks very similar to Ikea's plastic shopping tote

(CNN) Ikea's iconic 99 cent bag has gotten a high-fashion upgrade courtesy of Balenciaga.

The couture brand has come out with a bag that looks eerily similar to everyone's favorite crinkly Ikea tote bag. They're both neon blue, have the exact same construction, and seem to be bigger on the inside, like Doctor Who's TARDIS.

HAHAHAHAHA Balenciaga Is Selling the Ikea Tote for $2,145: https://t.co/BemTr6ttw4 via @TeenVogue pic.twitter.com/FvO3ag9EKa — Thuy Ong 🥞 (@ThuyOng) April 19, 2017

When you look at them side by side, there's only one major difference: price. Ikea's "Frakta" bag -- made of recyclable plastic -- costs 99 cents. Balenciaga's "glazed leather" and gold-stamped creation (standing in for yellow nylon straps) clocks in at $2,145.

Who wore it better? Balenciaga or IKEA? pic.twitter.com/LCB9Qri2xN — Mikael Pawlo (@mpawlo) April 18, 2017

In the age of high-fashion brands recreating cheap favorites -- Vetements' recreations of Hanes T-shirts for $740, for example -- Balenciaga may just be jumping on the bandwagon. It hasn't publicly responded to the controversy, so we can't be sure.

some_random_kaluna on April 20th, 2017 at 19:28 UTC »

But Ikea doesn't seem to mind. A company spokesperson told Today, "We are deeply flattered that the Balenciaga tote bag resembles the Ikea iconic sustainable blue bag for 99 cents. Nothing beats the versatility of a great big blue bag!"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do corporate PR.

TjW0569 on April 20th, 2017 at 14:03 UTC »

I wish I had the money to buy the Balenciaga bag.

I wouldn't buy one, but I sure wish I had the money.

Treczoks on April 20th, 2017 at 13:49 UTC »

But will it be as good? In a TV show they tested the IKEA bag, and it held nearly 50 liters of water with ease.