Supermarket brand, Aldi, created a haute-couture collection made of recycled plastic bin bags for London Fashion Week, to promote its new bin bag range. The line titled ‘Trash-Chic’, aims to demonstrate that style doesn’t have to cost the earth.

The most recent February London Fashion Week (LFW) has just come to a close, and it wasn’t without its usual accompaniment of innovative marketing stunts.

This season, Aldi put their own spin on high fashion with bin bag couture in central London. The collection was designed by Ethan Leyland - designer to singer Bjork, actress Jessica Chastain, and model Jourdan Dunn - who created two avant garde, leather-looking dresses. Leyland and his team spent over 270 hours on the designs, which were made of over 100 Aldi bin bags.

Two models showcased the dresses and bag accessories outside of a London Fashion Week venue. The public fashion show fooled some into believing that the designs were from a high-end fashion house, with crowds eager to get a glimpse of what was happening.

Extending the in-real-life work, Aldi’s social team captured videos of the stunt, with ‘in-the-know’ fashion fans praising the looks, before being told what the dresses were actually made of.

The move was devised to promote the supermarket’s Everyday Essentials Refuse Sacks, made from 60% recycled plastic, priced at £1.25 a roll.

Speaking on the work, Leyland said: “As soon as Aldi approached me with this project, I knew I had to get involved – it’s been some of my best work creating these looks out of just bin bags and I’ve loved seeing the reaction to them. We’ve taken London Fashion Week by storm!”

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, added, “When we labelled our Everyday Refuse Sacks as suitable for a variety of household uses, we really did mean it – from lining your bin, to becoming a runway-ready creation!”

Aldi is no stranger to engaging with high fashion. In December of 2023, for Chanel’s Metiers D'Art show in Manchester, we saw a Kate Moss look-a-like shopping in an Aldi store, creating a social media frenzy. Then in October 2024, Aldi created its own take on Moschino’s celery bag with a much more affordable version: a 75p bunch of celery.

Capitalising on the major fashion cultural calendar moment, Aldi managed to get eyes on its versatile product range, while delivering the message that style doesn’t have to be exclusive and fashion can be fun. As heads turn to shows in Milan and then Paris, the lingering marketing effects of LFW leave us with lasting creative inspiration.

Image credit: Aldi