Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Viral Leaf Bag Has Asian Twitter Users Amused Even After 11 Years

The internet is an archive of some of the best treasures one can find and luckily we live in a time when nothing from the past remains a secret. So when images of Jean-Paul Gaultier's leaf bag from 11 years ago resurfaced on the Internet, netizens just couldn't get enough of it. This leaf bag was food for thought for many Asians because in many parts of Asia and South-East Asia, banana leaf bags are made to steam and cook food in. Jean-Paul Gaultier may have been inspired by the "tropics" but the Internet soon recognised this as Nasi Lemak, a popular Malaysian street food consisting fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf and its similar versions served across Thailand and Philippines.

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Leaf Bags from Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2010 Haute Couture pic.twitter.com/6u29RZ3Ujd

— gastt (@_gastt) April 17, 2021

Fashion lovers and enthusiasts have been captivated by the fashion industry's long-drawn eclectic dynamism through its designs and ostentatious value. This handbag however became a meme-worthy riot for all the right reasons. Many Asian Twitter users took to the micro-blogging site to share hilarious similarities between the leather bag and the actual food item.

I mean if I can find Nasi Lemak inside my bag, it'll be great. https://t.co/saiPLoodCc

— Sarah Daniel (@rahrahdeee) November 29, 2016

We don't know about fashion but we did catch many of us salivating over this fashionable delicacy. In India too there are many regions that use banana leaf too in a similar fashion. Regions such as West Bengal, Odissa, Gujarat and parts of South India use the method of steaming in banana leaf pockets that resemble the leaf bag.

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Basically our lunch bag here in the Philippines. pic.twitter.com/fSZWRT1oU6

— jords (@jordsestrada) April 18, 2021

I mean if I can find Nasi Lemak inside my bag, it'll be great. https://t.co/saiPLoodCc

— Sarah Daniel (@rahrahdeee) November 29, 2016

Some even went on to share the similarity to Barbie Thumbelina's green clutch, which if we may say so ourselves, had quite the uncanny resemblance.

Giving very much the bags from Barbie Thumbelina pic.twitter.com/r759eEJ60M

— bridge. (@stfu_bridget) April 19, 2021

Jean- Paul Gaultier had left Hermes in 2010 after having contributed 7 creative years to the fashion house was inspired by Aztec emperor named Moctezuma with "tribal-eco" at its core and the leaf bags were an attempt at sustainability. How sustainable or accurate the inspiration may have been, the collection even after 11 years now has cracked us up and tempted us to head to the kitchen though.

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