For the overly fashion-conscious, trend may come first before safety. But authorities in Hong Kong are begging to disagree, markedly so when British design firm Alexander McQueen launched a new line of clutch bags.
The items under scrutiny are designer bags with handles resembling knuckledusters, which may soon be banned from the city’s airport.
Authorities said they may seize the bags, which could potentially be harmful as they can be used to pack a mean punch.
Although authorities say they are not after any specific brands of the bag and that other bags sporting similar designs could also be seized.
The Alexander McQueen “Knucklebox” comes in a various designs, with a knuckleduster handle decorated with gold-finish skulls and crystals, and is worth up to $3,000.
“We have to find out whether or not the fashion accessory is similar to a knuckleduster,” a police spokeswoman told AFP.
Hong Kong police seized 12 knuckledusters at the airport in the first three months of the year from a total of 38 in 2012. It is unclear whether any of them were attached to designer bags.
The police spokeswoman also said that passengers could be asked to put the offending items in their checked-in luggage.
