A tiny handbag that was only 657 by 222 by 700 microns in size (less than 0.03 inches wide) sold for more than $63,000 on Wednesday at an online auction.
The neon yellowish-green bag, which is hardly perceptible to the human eye, is based on a well-known Louis Vuitton design, however it was created by a New York art collective rather than the premium brand itself.
The Brooklyn-based organisation MSCHF calls its miniscule design the "Microscopic Handbag," and boasts that it is smaller than a grain of sea salt (though it may depend on how coarse you prefer your salt). Two-photon polymerization, a production technique used to 3D-print tiny plastic components, was employed to create the item. It was offered for sale with a microscope that has a viewing window for the bag that has a digital display.
More of the design can be seen in a promotional image, which also reveals Louis Vuitton's recognisable "LV" monogram. The bag looks to be modelled on the French brand's On The Go tote, which sells for between $3,100 and $4,300 in full size right now. Pharrell Williams, an American singer, record producer, and designer, founded Joopiter, an online auction company, which was in charge of hosting the sale. Although Williams currently serves as Louis Vuitton’s creative director of menswear, 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 use its logo or design.
He told the publication, "Pharrell loves huge hats, so we built him an extraordinarily little bag.
Since its inception in 2016, MSCHF has gained notoriety for its "drops," which are satirical art initiatives that frequently parody consumer capitalism while making money off of it. Infamously, Nike sued the group over its 'Satan Shoes', a line of 666 modified Nike trainers that featured satanic emblems and actual human blood droplets. Ultimately, a settlement was reached outside of court. The collective, well known for mocking the excesses of the art world, has now switched its focus on high-end fashion. Examples include selling fake Andy Warhol drawings or tearing apart Damian Hirst artworks.
The firm created the "Birkinstocks" sandals in 2021 after tearing up four Birkin purses, which it sold for high to $76,000 a pair. More recently, after being spotted on celebrities like Doja Cat, Iggy Azalea, and Janelle Monáe, the "Big Red Boots," a pair of cartoonish rubber boots, became viral.
MSCHF refuses to respond to CNN's inquiries on the production of its handbag before this week's sale. The fashion industry's obsession with little bags, according to a statement issued with the auction listing, has caused them to become "steadily more abstracted" to the point where the accessory is "purely a brand signifier."
The statement said, "Previous small leather handbags have still required a hand to carry them — they become dysfunctional, inconveniences to their 'wearer,'" "'Microscopic Handbag' follows this through to its logical end. A practical thing is reduced to jewellery, losing all of its ostensible usefulness; usability is the angels' share for luxury items.
