Art collective MSCHF has introduced a minuscule Louis Vuitton handbag that serves as a critical commentary on the world of luxury fashion. Described as the ultimate embodiment of miniature bags, this bag-shaped model measures a mere 657 micrometers in height and 700 micrometers in length. Crafted from neon-green photopolymer resin, the microscopic handbag was produced using 3D printing technology typically employed for biotech structures.
While visible to the naked eye, the bag’s intricate details can only be observed under a microscope. Adorned with a handle, a Louis Vuitton logo, and covered in the brand’s iconic monogram pattern, the tiny model embodies the essence of its larger counterparts. MSCHF expressed, “There are big handbags, normal handbags, and small handbags. Various brands at various times have dabbled in the extremes of each.”
Dubbed “Smaller than a grain of salt,” MSCHF’s Microscopic Handbag was crafted using a stereolithographic process commonly used in the creation of miniature mechanical biotech structures. The collective designed this bag as a statement regarding the luxury fashion industry and the practicality of small bags.
“As a handbag, once a functional object, is reduced in size, its essence becomes increasingly abstract until it exists solely as a symbol of the brand,” explained MSCHF. They further elaborated, “Previous small leather handbags still required a hand to carry them – they became dysfunctional, inconveniences for their ‘wearer’.”
The Microscopic Handbag takes this concept to its logical extreme. A utilitarian item is distilled into a piece of jewelry, devoid of any practical function. For luxury objects, usability becomes an ethereal concept, transcending the boundaries of functionality.
The handbag will be exhibited in Paris, encased within a sealed gel display and positioned beneath a microscope. Accompanied by an image projected onto a screen, it will be auctioned at the upcoming Just Phriends auction later this month.
The Just Phriends auction is part of Joopiter, an initiative launched by rapper Pharrell Williams, who assumed the role of head of menswear at Louis Vuitton last year.