BANGKOK, March 10 — Who needs Balenciaga when you can get the same at Platinum Shopping Mall in Bangkok for a fraction of the price?

Sharp-eyed fashion observers, especially those based in Asia, had a little chuckle on Sunday when new Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia sent a rather familiar-looking bag down the runway for his Fall/Winter 2016 collection for the Paris-based label.

As anyone who has been to Thailand will tell you, the colourful striped bag bears more than a passing resemblance to the utilitarian shopping bag often spotted being carried or trundled down sidewalks by wholesale merchants in JJ Market, Platinum Shopping Mall and Chinatown.

Of course, since this is Balenciaga, the bag in question is made out of leather and rumoured to cost at least RM10,000.

Its more humble counterpart, on the other hand, is made of plastic and can be yours for around RM10 if you bargain hard.

Naturally, Thai social media users couldn’t help but have a laugh at Balenciaga’s expense.

A Thai man has a little fun at Balenciaga’s expense. — Picture via Facebook.com/Pantipdotcom

Meanwhile, during what was obviously a slow news day yesterday, some reporters even took the trouble of contacting the Department of Intellectual Property Thailand to ask if the bag was a copyright violation.

The question reached the department’s top echelons, with director-general Nantawan Sakunkarn responding that the fashion house did not copy the design of the Thai plastic bag because the material is obviously different.

This is not the first time that a Paris fashion house has been “inspired” by a bag more commonly associated with everyday life.

For its Fall/Winter 2013 collection, Celine sent a plaid pattern down the runway that looked suspiciously like the one often seen on bags carried by Chinese workers when they travel back to their hometowns during extended holidays such as Chinese New Year and Golden Week.

An ad for Celine’s Fall/Winter 2013 collection. — Screen grab from Facebook