Anya Hindmarch bag banned

Anya Hindmarch's 'I'm Not a Plastic Bag' banned in China

THE MUST-HAVE accessory of the year in China is the Anya Hindmarch 'I'm not a Plastic Bag' bag, the problem is, it's banned.

Chinese authorities in Beijing have banned the bag from sale in China after women were crushed in the rush to grab one of the 1,300 that went on sale yesterday in Hong Kong.

Undettered shoppers are now turning to China's lucrative black market to get their mits on the coveted accessory. Markets and internet sites are selling couterfeit copies of the bag, known as 'A products'. Sellers are not hiding the fact that the product is fake and the buyers aren't particularly bothered either. It's all about being seen rather than green. The waiting

lists are already jam-packed and factory workers are working over-time to meet the demand.

Zheng Lu, 24, is waiting for her counterfeit to arrive. 'Although this bag is an advocate for the environment, I think what comes first is fashion. A lot of Hollywood stars are using it and the price is cheap,' she told The Times. 'Now I'll buy the fake online, even though this 'A product' is more expensive than the original,' she added.

Qin Xiao, a dealer based in Beijing, expects to have counterfeit bags in his store by the weekend. He will sell them at £9 each - compared with the £5 price tag in London. He has a long list of women desperate for the bag and expects queues on Saturday when they arrive.

He told The Times: 'These bags are exactly the same as the real one: the weight, size and fabric. Everything is the same. Anyway, the real ones are made in China, too.' (19 July 2007)