Are designer lunch boxes the new it bag? Fashionistas are spending money on food containers from £1,380 Prada and £1,350 Saint Laurent (but you can go for a ‘budget’ option at £325)

Those hoping to keep up with this year’s fashion trends may find themselves lusting after a very unusual accessory this season: expensive designer lunch boxes.

The new it-bag, which is often small and stylish with a flash of bold branding, could set fashionistas back up to £1,380 at Prada, with the option to add a branded stainless steel cutlery set for £ 320.

This particular offering is a black nylon carrier, with two stainless steel bento boxes, with bamboo lids, hidden inside. These are made in collaboration with Black+Blum, the brand known for its sustainable food packaging.

Spanish fashion house Balenciaga has a chrome option, made from silver stainless steel and silicone and with the brand’s name engraved on the side, all for £615.

It looks a bit like a toolbox, with metal latches on each side to open it.

Saint Laurent’s offering is a £1,350 leather ‘to-go box’, which comes in two colours.

But there are some stylish food containers that won’t break the bank as much, like an insulated nylon cooler bag from Anna Hindmarch that retails for £325.

And if you can do without the designer brand, Black+Blum, which supplies Prada’s bento boxes, has an in-house range that starts at £21.95 for a very similar product.

Dan Black, the founder of Black+Blum, said The times that designer lunch boxes have become “the new status symbol” as we head into summer.

And they are very far from other fashion trends that populate TikTok and Instagram.

This year, influencers have moved away from Hailey Bieber’s skincare-focused ‘clean girl’ trend, which saw women slick their hair back and opt for minimal makeup.

Now, according to New York City resident Kayla Trivieri, clean makeup for girls is no more and the mafia wife aesthetic is coming in 2024, making it the latest TikTok beauty and fashion trend to hit. sweeps the app.

The fashion trend coincides with the 25th anniversary of the hit HBO show The Sopranos, as young women channel their inner mafia wife by wearing glamorous gold jewelry, fur and plenty of animal prints.

But there are some stylish food containers that won’t break the bank as much, like an insulated nylon cooler bag from Anna Hindmarch that retails for £325.

“The clean girl is out, the era of the mob wife has arrived,” Kayla announced to her 234,000 TikTok followers in a video viewed more than 1.7 million times.

“We all really need to get into our mob wife era,” the influencer explained, with photos of the Sopranos cast displayed behind her in collages she made.

“Starbucks and black puffers are in, we’ll be wearing vintage furs all winter,” Kayla advised.

‘We’re already seeing the cheetah prints, the glitter, the glitter, the glamour, the furs and the long hair. This is just a vibe. Carmela Soprano walked so you could run,” Kayla continued.

“She’s got the long hair, the batteries, look at that tennis necklace,” Kayla said of Carmela.

Kayla ended the video by declaring: ‘Bold glamor is making a comeback because who doesn’t want to be like that?’ which turned out to be a popular sentiment.

‘I’m FINALLY done, clean girl,’ one follower rejoiced.

“I really think my grandma died and left me all her skins so I could come in as my mob wife in the Brooklyn era,” said another.

“It’s time for us Italian girls to shine,” read one popular comment, while another person agreed: “There’s finally a trend I can participate in.”