How now is your tote bag?

Toad or Quince? Violet or Jolene? Bread Ahead or The Dusty Knuckle? Forget the sourdough for a second – the real competition between these beloved London bakeries is taking place on the side of their tote bags. The tote is more than the two-handled, open-topped canvas construction that carries people’s Sally Rooney novels and SPF moisturisers, it represents the brand that sells it. To jump on the trend isn’t just a case of convenience, it’s code for your custom at a particular museum, café or bookshop.

Daunt Books tote, from £10

Jimmy Fairly tote, £20

Take the latter: in London, the literary tote to beat is that of Daunt Books, whose organic-cotton numbers come in 12 colours and several sizes (from £10). Paris’s cult bookshop Shakespeare and Company is so attached to its own variety (silkscreened blue ink, €18) that the “tote bags” category appears second only to “books” on its website header.

You wouldn’t know there are no Trader Joe’s stores in the UK, given the proliferation of its beige bags in London. Across the Atlantic, its limited-edition Mini Canvas Tote Bag ($2.99) is a diminutive version of the classic style. For something a little larger, try Marc Jacobs’ presumptuously named The Tote Bag (£250) or eyewear designer Jimmy Fairly’s monochrome version (£20). Fans of Erewhon’s shopper bag ($50), meanwhile, can upgrade to the supermarket’s collaboration with Balenciaga (£315).

Balenciaga x Erewhon shopper, £315

Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas tote, $2.99

The bigger the bag, the longer and wider you’ll want the straps. Kind Bag, which produces three retro styles for London’s Design Museum (£12), uses wide arms in its plastic-bottle-based creations. “Mine are wide-mouthed, long-strapped, and hold their shape. Short straps are criminal,” the FT’s Lilah Raptopoulos says of her collection. She sees an array of old favourites (The New Yorker, $50) – and newer contenders (Winner bakery, $30, and Books Are Magic, $10) – vying for attention in New York. The more niche the cause the better: 30 per cent of proceeds from Dan Bennett’s fetching tote (£15.26) go to South London charity Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

The New Yorker tote, $50

Electric Lady Studios tote, $18

Maybe you’re less concerned by the bag and more by who’s carrying it: Paul Mescal and Jack Antonoff have both been spotted carrying totes from New York’s Electric Lady Studios ($18), while Olivia Wilde favours Merci’s Candide bag (€160). Or maybe the boldest design is no design at all: neither Muji’s plain cotton My Bag (£2.50) nor Niwaki’s Daikon Tote (£36) care that no one will know where you got them.