An extraordinarily microscopic Louis Vuitton handbag designed by Brooklyn-based art and fashion collective MSCHF was sold for a staggering R1.18 million at a recent auction.
Here are the measurements of this $63 000 Louis Vuitton handbag
This miniature neon yellow handbag, featuring the iconic LV monogramming of luxury brand Louis Vuitton, is so minuscule that it can only be viewed through a microscope.
“Smaller than a grain of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle, this is a purse so small you’ll need a microscope to see it,” MSCHF said.
Measuring a mere 657 by 222 by 700 microns (0.667 x 0.222 x 0.7mm), it is smaller than a grain of salt, contrasting starkly with the typical sizes of designer handbags.
How MSCHF crafted the smallest luxury handbag ever made
MSCHF employed advanced two-photon polymerisation printing techniques to create this remarkable artwork. Using photopolymer resin and a gel case, the collective leveraged a process commonly utilised in the biotech industry.
“There are big handbags, normal handbags, and small handbags, but this is the final word in bag miniaturization. As a once-functional object like a handbag becomes smaller and smaller its object status becomes steadily more abstracted until it is purely a brand signifier,” the brand wrote on Instagram.
Notably, MSCHF did not collaborate with Louis Vuitton or seek permission to incorporate the brand’s logo or design elements into its creation. Joopiter, an online auction house founded by Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton’s menswear creative director, hosted the auction.
The event also featured other intriguing items, including a replica of Sir Lewis Hamilton’s custom-designed helmet by Takashi Murakami, a shark sculpture by Hajime Sorayama, a 2013 MTV Moonman award belonging to street artist Kaws, a portrait of Williams by Invader, a signed Polaroid image of Williams with Kenzo designer Nigo, and a Tiffany & Co x Pharrell Williams Astro Mint pendant.
The official description of the MSCHF Microscopic Handbag, penned by the collective, emphasises its extraordinary reduction in size and explores the shift from a functional object to a brand signifier.
As the handbag diminishes in size, it sheds its practical functionality and transforms into a wearable piece of jewellery, carrying solely the symbolic weight of the brand.
This auction marks yet another headline-making achievement for MSCHF, whose previous endeavours include the sale of oversized red cartoon-style boots dubbed the “Astro Boy boots.”
The collective’s unique blend of art, fashion, and unconventional design continues to captivate audiences and challenge traditional notions of utility and luxury.
