Designer Aki Goto launches $480 jacket made from recycled brown paper bags

Going green is fashionable these days, but being environmentally conscious and fashionable at the same time will cost you a pretty penny.

As the Daily Mail notes, New York City designer Aki Goto has crafted a hand-sewn jacket comprised of the remnants of several dozen big city lunches.

The size 8 unisex item is simply called Paper Bag Jacket and is described as a series of "brown paper bags glued on and coated with Varnish" and was made with a "vintage jacket and recycled paper bags."

A bit of shiny silver tape adds a touch of style to the otherwise uniform look.

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Goto is known for cobbling together designs made entirely from donated fabrics and her latest showstopper would appear to follow suit.

And lest you think this is just some sort of interesting arts-and-crafts project, the one-of-a-kind piece will set you back a cool $480.

With the inexplicable popularity of Jil Sanders' $290 paper sac clutch, there appears to be a market for expensive paper wearables.

Whether it's the novelty of draping yourself in a lunch sac or a desire to look like a member of the environmental brigade, designers are rolling out these high-price recyclable looks because people can't seem to get enough of them.

Artist and environmental educator Nancy Judd has elevated recycled fashion to an artform with her Eco Trash Couture collection — a series of extravagant dresses stitched together from reused materials.

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Judd's Youth Eco-Dress, a green beribboned gown that looks like it belongs in a lost scene from Gone With the Wind, was made of old bed sheets from a New Mexico hotel and adorned with strips of recycled paper upon which children had written their names and pledges to help the environment.

And Ecouterre has a photo gallery of the Top 7 Recycled Fashion Designs of 2011 — amazing innovations that range from a woodchip corset to a wedding gown constructed from over 2000 plastic water bottles.

But a $480 paper jacket that may disintegrate if you get caught in a sudden downpour? That's straddling a fine line between artistic expression and wearable fashion.

So what do you think: Are these paper bag fashion trends a waste of money or worth every penny?