A Philadelphia designer has sparked a debate online after transforming classic tote bags into luxury handbags that cost more than some people’s rent.
The ‘Boatkin’ – part Birkin, part tote – is a bargain vintage LL Bean Boat and Tote bag restructured to mimic the style of the luxury Hermes Birkin bag that can cost upwards of $10,000.
The controversial bag is the creation of Jen Risk, founder of brand Hathaway Hutton.
The Hathaway Hutton website describes the Boatkin as ‘a super fun super niche super useful tote bag that you can spill an entire nitro cold brew in and not have one ounce of guilt about it.’
Risk, who describes her creation as ‘quiet luxury with a smirk,’ charges between $1,200 and $1,600 for each custom bag.
‘I wanted to mess with the seriousness of it all and give it some personality,’ she told the New York Times in a recent interview:
The bag is priced at a staggering markup from the original L.L. Bean tote’s which comes with a $35-$55 price tag.
The designer has already sold over 300 Boatkins since launching the concept.
The ‘Boatkin’ – part Birkin, part tote – is a bargain vintage LL Bean Boat and Tote bag restructured to mimic the style of the luxury Birkin bag that can cost upwards of $10,000 (Boatkin pictured)
There is now a six-month waiting list for delivery – not yet at the level of the notorious Hermès Birkin waitlist that can last years. (Real Birkin pictured)
There is now a six-month waiting list for delivery – not yet at the level of the notorious Hermès Birkin waitlist that can last years.
Shoppers are now divided over the idea with many slamming the bag online, the creator acknowledged.
‘Most people love it, which has been really fun,’ Risk said. ‘A few people get weirdly mad.’
‘Wdym old and tattered LL Bean Boat and Totes are being hacked into a Boatkin and being sold for $1,500?!? I’m scratching my head a bit but ngl, I kinda want one,’ one conflicted user wrote on X.
Others commented: ‘Obsessed,’ while claiming it’s the ‘bag of the summer.’
The product is made from ‘excellently crafted vintage canvas totes, hand cut and hand sewn,’ according to the website.
‘Every single square inch of fabric and canvas from the original tote has been used (no really… there’s like 2 square inches of waste leftover).’
The website also tells customers to ‘Please ONLY purchase a Boatkin™ if you know and understand that vintage totes were ‘used and abused’ by the people that loved them before I took them to the chopping block to give them a new life.
The Hathaway Hutton website describes the Boatkin as ‘a super fun super niche super useful tote bag that you can spill an entire nitro cold brew in and not have one ounce of guilt about it’
The controversial bag is the creation of Jen Risk, founder of brand Hathaway Hutton
Hailey Beiber poses with an LL Bean tote bag
Reese Witherspoon out and about in Los Angeles with an LL Bean Tote bag
‘While I clean the canvas very well (like… with a power washer) there may still be stains that you will see from water, dirt, pen, dogs, life, etc,’ the website warns.
‘Some totes have writing on the front or back (see our example Boatkin with the #21 written in sharpie on the rear). Each one is unique and one of a kind. No two are the same!’
