As ‘Olympic Fever’ takes over the country, many Londoners are showing their frustrations at the event with “protest” bags, a range of printed carrier bags by designer Toby Leigh.
Printed with a variety of tongue-in-cheek slogans such as “They’re all on steroids”, “It only took me three hours to get to work this morning” and “I’m renting my flat to a fat American family”, the souvenir carrier bags are said to echo what many Londoners are feeling.
Traffic chaos, public transport breakdowns, and floods of tourists are expected to become part of everyday life during the 3-week Olympic event, and while many retailers are hoping for a boost in sales, those that have to get into their central London office, are already dreading their daily commute.
The designer of the bags revealed that a lot of research was required to avoid breaking the tough marketing guidelines put in place by the Olympics organisers LOCOG, but by using a slightly different typeface and steering clear from the words “Olympic rings” and “London 2012”, he managed to create his fun range of printed carrier bags without breaking any copyright laws.
The printed “protest” carrier bags have proved to be incredibly popular with London locals, so much so, that one range is already out of stock, and at £15 for a 14.5-inch by 17-inch accessory, it just proves that the public do not mind paying for carrier bags if they are printed with a humorous slogan or design.
When asked why he thought his printed carrier bags were such a success, Toby Leigh indicated that it was down to Londoners being a little frustrated with the Olympic event, and that “we like to laugh at things”.
You may not have time to order your humorous Olympic carrier bags in time for the opening ceremony, but why not be one-step ahead, and be the first to London retailer to debut “I survived the Olympics” bags!
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