Shopping bags are, for the most part, pretty dull. Not only are they a hinderance on the environment, but they’re hardly ever hip enough for us to want to recycle them unless it means dropping them in a blue bin. But, there are some designers who are trying to make us dispose of this old way of thinking. And, they’re doing it from the runway to the retail story with thoughtfully-designed bags that convey serious attitude.

To showcase this new trend, Toxel put together a nice collection of images from around the world for you to ooh and ahh at. Check out the breadth of ideas featured from the smart “floating” bag that’s pure fun to other, more controversial options that we wouldn’t dare try out in Los Angeles.

The bag shown here was given when you bought a book by Belgium’s most famous crime writer.