Has the puffy bag craze reached its peak here?

Practical and waterproof, nylon carryalls have become many Singaporeans’ bag of choice, ranging in styles from shoulder to crossbody to backpack

- Amanda Chai

How do you spot a Singaporean woman overseas?

Most likely by the puffy bag slung around her body, from home-grown labels The Paper Bunny (TPB) or Beyond The Vines.

Practical, waterproof and often termed "puffy", these nylon fabric carryalls have in the past year become the bag of choice for many locals.

Such bags even spawned a trending audio on TikTok in January that narrated "how to dress like a Singaporean girl".

The piece de resistance completing an outfit of wide-legged pants and a crop top was "the puffer bag - bonus if it's from (Singapore brands) The Paper Bunny, Beyond The Vines or Good Totes".

TPB co-founder Jaime Lee finds it hard to believe it has been only a year since the lifestyle label launched its Puffer Swing.

The deceptively simple handbag-meets-crossbody style was launched in January 2023. It took the island by storm and has become the brand's most sought-after product.

So much so that every restock or drop of new colours sells out. One launch even drew snaking queues - and an online queue of 1,200 people at the brand's store in Ngee Ann City in September 2023.

It is quite the unintended redirection for TPB, which started out in 2013 selling stationery that Ms Lee, a former lawyer, designed.

Her ethos of focusing on "aesthetically pleasing but still functional" products has evolved to include more lifestyle products and, eventually, bags.

"When people think of The Paper Bunny, they don't think of stationery any more," the 38-year-old says.

In hindsight, good timing and fortune favoured her to debut the style then, as it managed to ride the global rise of the puffy bag trend, she notes.

Around the world, pillowy, puffy or quilted bags captured customers' attention in 2023.