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6 chic and roomy raffia bags that look way more expensive than they should, from £24.50

The raffia tote is the bag of summer, and these five high street finds are luxury coded

By Melanie RickeyPublished: 05 May 2026

Is any summer wardrobe truly complete without a great woven raffia bag? I think not. Mainly because they are a very specific happiness inducing transitional object, one that comes with you on holiday, and becomes your companion for sunny relaxed days and good times.

It’s the one item you’ll use every day to throw your sunglasses, book, sunscreen, swimsuit and towel into, sling over your shoulder, and head to the beach. If you get one roomy enough, you can use yours as a beach pillow, tucked under your towel. I do.

For your raffia bag to do all these jobs, and look chic with it, it must be spacious, well-made and in a classic shape, like a bucket or tote. Something that’ll also work with your favourite chic white top, cotton summer dress, and linen matching set while you’re strolling around town, picking up fresh bread or local supplies.

But do you need to pay a lot for that? Absolutely not. Which is where this edit comes in. Because this summer’s crop of raffia bags from the high street prove you don’t need to spend much to get a useful bag that looks luxurious.

You just have to know the details to look for.

Let’s take as an example, JW Anderson’s raffia ‘Bulb’ bag. At £455, it’s sculptural, tactile, roomy and extremely chic. But M&S has a rounded raffia tote with a similarly polished feel, finished with a golden buckle, for just £50. Monsoon’s horseshoe version in dark brown is equally stylish at £31.50, down from £45.

Then there’s Saint Laurent’s double-strap raffia tote, which costs £2,430. It’s designed to be carried in hand or slung over the shoulder, a detail echoed in Accessorize’s bucket-shaped raffia tote, which currently comes in one hundred times cheaper at £24.50, down from £35.

If you want to invest a little more, The Jacksons range at The White Company feature chic and summery slogans. While the rectangular striped tote from Mint Velvet, whose summer collection is full of useful pieces, has internal zipped pockets and a removable zip up pouch.