An online auction on Wednesday sold a miniature handbag measuring 657 by 222 by 700 microns (or less than 0.03 inches wide) for more than $63,000. The neon yellowish-green bag, which is barely visible to the naked eye, is based on a popular Louis Vuitton design – though it is the creation of a New York art collective, not the luxury company itself.
The Brooklyn-based organization MSCHF claims its miniature invention, dubbed “Microscopic Handbag,” is tiny enough to pass through the eye of a needle and is smaller than a grain of sea salt (though this may depend on how coarse you prefer your salt). Two-photon polymerization, a manufacturing process used to 3D-print micro-scale plastic pieces, was employed to create the device. It was sold alongside a microscope that included a digital display for seeing the bag. A promotional image reveals more of the design, including Louis Vuitton’s distinctive “LV” monogram. The bag looks to be modeled on the French label’s OnTheGo tote, which retails for between $3,100 and $4,300 in full size.
Joopiter, an online auction company founded by American artist, record producer, and designer Pharrell Williams, organized the sale. Even though Williams is currently the creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, MSCHF’s chief creative officer Kevin Wiesner previously told the New York Times that the collective had not sought his or the French label’s permission to utilize its emblem or design.
“Pharrell loves big hats, so we made him an incredibly small handbag,” he told the newspaper.
MSCHF mocks consumerism with irreverent art installations and luxury fashion
MSCHF, which was founded in 2016, has made news for its “drops,” irreverent art installations that frequently mock – while benefitting from – consumer capitalism. Nike famously sued the group over its “Satan Shoes,” a collection of 666 pairs of modified Nike sneakers with satanic iconography and drips of real human blood. The disagreement was eventually resolved out of court.
The collective is known for tormenting the art world with its excesses, whether it’s selling counterfeit Andy Warhol works or chopping up Damian Hirst paintings, and it’s now turned its attention to luxury clothes.
In 2021, the organization broke four Birkin purses apart to make sandals (called “Birkinstocks”) that sold for much to $76,000 each pair. Its cartoonish rubber boots, known as “Big Red Boots,” recently become a global hit after being worn by celebrities such as Doja Cat, Iggy Azalea, and Janelle Monáe. (https://www.madisonavenuemalls.com/)
MSCHF refuses to answer CNN’s queries on the creation of its handbag prior to this week’s sale. However, a statement released accompanying the auction listing said that the fashion industry’s love of little bags had resulted in them becoming “steadily more abstracted” to the point that the accessory is “purely a brand signifier.”
“Previous small leather handbags have still required a hand to carry them — they become dysfunctional, inconveniences to their ‘wearer,’” the statement added. “‘Microscopic Handbag’ takes this to its full logical conclusion. A practical object is boiled down into jewelry, all of its putative function evaporated; for luxury objects, usability is the angels’ share.”
