Sorry, but These Bougie Buys Are Really Just Basic Asian Household Items

Over the weekend, social media users were abuzz over a Gucci garment that looked strangely familiar. In the eyes of many, the design looks just like a kameez or kurta, variations of traditional long tunics worn by people in South Asia. 

“First introduced as part of Gucci’s 1996 collection, the kaftan continues to be an integral part of the House aesthetic while evolving in new materials and modern details,” reads the description of Gucci’s “floral embroidery organic linen kaftan.”

But for $3,500, the piece is far from relatable.

Fashion trends come, go, and come again but through it all, one thing seems to stick around. Every now and then, a designer fashion piece or fancy home decor goes viral for looking a lot like cheap Asian market finds, only with an exorbitant price tag. 

These uncanny similarities all make for a good chuckle, but they also happen way too often. Remember those designer mahjong sets? Below, we take a look at some items that appear to have drawn inspiration from the most mundane Asian household objects, toeing the fine line between cultural appreciation, appropriation, and ignorance.

Gucci’s tunic has drawn mockery from social media users for its plain appearance and steep price tag.

But Gucci isn’t the only brand that has rubbed people the wrong way with their spin-offs of traditional clothing. 

Spanish fashion retailer Zara has also been spotted selling several clothing designs, including one bright pink “oversize shirt,” that bear a striking resemblance to the kameez.

Regular price in South Asia: $2 to $20, with pricier ones going up to around $50

“Round out your accent wall with this impressive woven art piece made from bamboo,” reads the description of a $299 item listed as a round 42” bamboo wall art on high-end American furniture retailer Pottery Barn. 

Filipinos were quick to point out that the rustic statement piece looks a lot like a bilao, a traditional woven tray used to serve food or clean rice. 

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

It’s not the first time the bilao was used as trendy home decor. 

In 2017, a Facebook user said they found a bilao listed on Etsy as a “boho chic” rattan tray and “bohemian wall hanging rustic decor” for $38.

Regular price in Southeast Asia: $1 to $2

There are designer “anti-bags” that straddle the line between haute couture and disposable chic, as well as distinctive plastic bag-inspired totes that pay tribute to the cultural heritage of Chinatowns in the United States. Then there are obscenely priced designer bags that are basically Asian market staples.

In its Fall/Winter 2016 collection, Balenciaga’s Bazar Bag featured bold primary colors, maximal capacity, and a glossy waterproof texture. But it is perhaps more recognized for its similarities to a bag commonly seen in Thailand’s market stalls and budget shopping malls.

Often used by business owners to pack wholesale goods, the functional market bags feature the same vibrant stripes and lacquered shine as the designer leather versions that cost over $2,000.

Naturally, memes and mockery of the uncanny similarity ensued.

The hoo-ha even led the Thai Department of Intellectual Property to publicly compare the two bags before concluding that they were not that similar—at least not enough to warrant claims of copyright violation. 

In 2017, Balenciaga came out with another market chic piece, the Blanket Square tote, which many recognized as the doppelgänger of those clear plastic bags used to pack blankets.

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 has come to symbolize Hong Kong culture. One detail that sets the Louis Vuitton version apart from its Hong Kong market cousins is a stamp design printed on the corner of the bag.

Regular price in Asia: $1

Rattan is a popular material in Southeast Asian furniture, housing, and handicraft due to its ready availability in the region. Rattan furniture-making may be a dying craft, but new appreciation for the unassuming material is spearheading a nostalgic revival.

On Pottery Barn’s catalog is a plain rattan chair initially priced at over $600. The handwoven rattan chair also comes in a rocking chair version.

If you’ve decided to rock with rattan but are not ready to foot the hefty price tag, you can find a similar looking chair listed on a Singaporean online marketplace for $30 (though it’s secondhand).

Regular price in Asia: $100 - $300, depending on the size

Sporting square tiles weaved together in a uniform style, fashion house Bottega Veneta’s bags have been relentlessly compared to a traditional Malay food called the ketupat, which are diamond-shaped pockets woven by palm leaves, containing fragrant rice cake.

Similarly, Jean Paul Gaultier’s leaf bags in its Spring/Summer 2010 collection saw Southeast Asians comparing it to local leaf-wrapped dishes—pepes, an Indonesian cooking method which uses banana leaves to wrap food before steaming or grilling, and binalot, a Filipino way of serving food in banana leaves.

Regular price in Southeast Asia: $1 - $2, with a serving of food.

Follow Koh Ewe on Instagram.