H&M’s new summer tote is a dupe for a popular designer bag – and it’s a fraction of the price
The Straw Tote bag is available in a range of colours, with its beige version being branded a dupe for the Prada Crochet Tote Bag.
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But while the Prada bag costs a staggering £1,500, H&M’s similar alternative costs just £19.99.
A description on H&M’s website reads: “Tote bag in braided paper straw with handles at the top.”
The bag is unlined, weighs just 272 grams, and has a height and width of approximately 35cm making it the perfect size for all your summer essentials.
Its stylish design features a holed crochet pattern, with a closer knit at the bottom to ensure your belongings stay secure.
It is embellished with ‘Amour Paris‘.
The bag is also available in a red and dark brown design, adding a pop of colour to liven up your outfit.
With a 4.8 star rating, the bag is clearly a hit among shoppers.
One wrote: “Lovely summer bag. Also good as a beach bag.
“Not too big but can carry a towel, flip flops and a few other essentials easily.”
Others described as “perfect for summer” while another said that it “looks a lot more expensive than it is.”
Its more-expensive Prada comparison is similarly sized, and is available in natural (similar to beige), and olive green.
With a slightly more structured shape, the key difference between the bags is that instead of ‘Amour Paris’, the designer counterpart reads ‘Prada Milano‘.
This is adorned in a triangle at the centre of the bag, rather than at its base, giving more space for the looser knit design also featured on the £20 dupe.
A Prada product description reads: “This crochet tote bag has a soft, deconstructed shape and boasts a light, summery mood.
“A new interpretation of Prada’s emblematic triangle decorates the front and is embellished at its centre with the embroidered lettering logo.”
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It’s part of a wider collection of crochet bags designed by the luxury fashion brand – which includes a card holder for £1,020, and a mini bucket bag for £1,760.
A similar compact-sized shoulder bag is available as part of the H&M collection for just £19.99.
They also have a smaller version of the shoulder bag at just 22cm tall, available for the same bargain price.
Eager shoppers can snap up the summer bargain both online and instore.
It’s great for pairing with the rest of H&M’s Summer 2025 collection, now available while stocks last.
Why you should always buy a dupe over designer…
Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says it’s time fashion snobs stopped looking down their noses at affordable versions of designer buys.
Bargain US supermarket Walmart became a social media sensation when its £60 dupe of Hermès’ Birkin bag, dubbed the Wirkin, went viral.
Influencer @styledbykristi gushed: “Eighty dollars (£60), you can pretend that you got a Birkin. I mean, everyone will probably know it’s not, because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin? Not me.”
Me neither. And why bother? I would never spend that on a designer bag (although if someone wants to buy one for me, that’s a different story).
Plus, if I splashed that much, I’d feel I was being ripped off…
We’ve all been told how the leading brands use the finest leather, thread, dyes and craftsmanship in the world.
But all that is inflated by fashion houses to create the desired illusion of exclusivity.
Just last year, Dior came under investigation for paying £44 to assemble a bag that sells for £2,000.
So while you might think you are paying for top-level craftsmanship carried out by a true artisan, chances are the poorly paid workers are not seeing any of your hard-earned cash.
Dupes — not to be mistaken for knock-offs that copy everything from the logo to the inside label — are a more practical and all-round sensible way to go.
I bought my first when I was 18. It lasted me four years and only broke after I wore it in the shower.
And these days, British high streets have plenty of dupes. In the past three years, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Mango have all seen huge spikes in sales thanks to their canny copies. They use the same viral, must-have marketing tactics that pricey brands have.
Fashion folk will tell you that you are making an investment and buying a “heritage piece” and will turn their noses up at a high street equivalent. But we’ve been wearing looks inspired by catwalk designers for decades.
If we can buy a bag that’s the spitting image of the pricier version, but doesn’t mean you have to remortgage, why not?
