Is Uniqlo’s Viral $20 Shoulder Bag Really Worth the Hype?

Before we start, I must reveal a few truths. Firstly, I am not a regular TikTok-er (is that even the right terminology?). Secondly, I have spent a large part of my career working in luxury fashion. It would seem then, that Uniqlo's viral $20 shoulder bag should be the last thing on my shopping wishlist. But 1.7 seconds into a video posted by @caitlinphillimore and I've forgotten who I am and what I know. She’s already produced a pair of headphones and a large packet of biscuits from inside…

Is it a clever camera angle, a trick of the eye, or could this small nylon number be 2022's answer to Mary Poppins' magic carryall?

Phillimore’s video has been watched 509.7K times since April, and after 35 minutes scrolling on a platform I don’t even have an account for, I realize she’s not the only one in awe of its capacity.

The minimal zip-top design might look compact—it's about the size of Balenciaga's logo belt bag or Gucci’s Marmont shoulder bag—but if TikTok is anything to go by, it holds everything you might need for a long-haul flight, a day in the city, or a 13-hour stint at a festival. One content creator even highlights its ability to house an entire block of tofu; not something I’d usually carry around with me but each to their own.

I’m convinced I need to try it but sadly it's not that simple. The hashtag #uniqlobag has been viewed 2.1 million times on TikTok at the time of writing and it was sold out in the UK (thankfully, it's still in stock stateside).

Naturally, my intrigue spikes. I’m in Paris the next day when I stumble across it in Le Marais. (This is a lie. I've dragged my poor companion there straight from the Eurostar on a noble quest to find it. It’s a venture she does not care for.) The croissants and Notre Dame can wait… this is worth detouring for.