One of the bags that Balenciaga has launched at the Paris Fashion Week is "storming" in Thailand because it is similar to the plastic bag called Sampeng of the country.
In the Fall of 2016 show, March 6, Balenciaga has launched a large tote bag with colorful, eye-catching tote bags. Immediately, this bag has become the talk of the netizen of Thailand because it is too similar to the popular plastic bag that the people of the country still used to store things, go to the market.
Balenciaga's eye-catching bag on the runway a few days ago ...
... allegedly identical to a plastic bag called Sampeng is very popular in Thailand.
From the design to the color scheme of the branded bag is said to be very similar to the plastic bag called "Sampeng bag" characteristic of Thailand. With its remarkable storage capacity, Sampeng bags are often used by merchants to store goods. One can see this bag very much in Bangkok's busy markets, such as Chatuchak Market, Platinum Shopping Mall or Chinatown.
Thanks to Balenciaga's "tattoos", Sampeng's "hometown" bag has become the subject of Thai netizens' humorous images.
When Sampeng's "hometown" bag suddenly became a source of inspiration for Balenciaga's multi-thousand-dollar baggage, Thai netizens simultaneously posted pictures of themselves and their bags as a fashion accessory. Comes with funny comment lines. It is no exaggeration to say that Sampeng bags have become "stars after only one night" and became the hot keyword in the Thai community over the past few days.
Thai netizens are excited to showcase Sampeng's bag as a "high fashion" accessory.
"straight from the runway"
However, a segment of Thai netizens are not welcome in the humorous perspective. They claim that Balenciaga has plagiarized and pirated the idea. To address this, Nantawan Sakunkarn, Director General of the Thai Intellectual Property Department, held a press conference. At this press conference, she said that this could not be considered copyright infringement because the material of the two bags was clearly different. She added that while traveling abroad, Thais do not have to worry that the Sampeng bag they carry may be mistaken for a "fake" bag by two different bags.
Balenciaga handbags are made of leather and cost about $ 3,000 (~ $ 67 million).
Source: Coconuts Bangkok