This purse is so tiny that it’s hardly perceptible to the naked eye, yet, it has just been auctioned off for a staggering amount of over US$67,000.
The micro-purse, adorned with Louis Vuitton’s iconic monogram and conceived by the Brooklyn-based art group MSCHF, fetched a price over four times its initial asking price of $15,000 in an online auction this week.
“Invisible to the naked eye, smaller than a grain of sea salt, and able to fit through the eye of a needle. To truly see this purse, you’ll need a microscope,” claimed MSCHF in a post about their creation. They added, “We have huge, regular, and small handbags, but this pushes the envelope of handbag miniaturization.”
Small handbags are currently trendy, but as the character Derek Zoolander might quip, “What is this? A purse for ants?”
Dubbed the Microscopic Handbag, this tiny bag is fashioned from a photopolymer resin, measuring a mere 657 by 222 by 700 micrometres. As reported by CNN, the technology used to produce it is called two-photon polymerization, a method employed for 3D printing at the micro-scale.
The diminutive accessory is inspired by Louis Vuitton’s OnTheGo handbag, though MSCHF didn’t seek approval from the luxury brand for their miniature rendition.
“We subscribe to the philosophy of ‘seek forgiveness, not permission’,” shared Kevin Wiesner, MSCHF’s chief creative officer, with The New York Times earlier this month.
The teeny bag, sold on Joopiter, an online auction house founded by Louis Vuitton men’s designer Pharrell Williams, comes equipped with a digital display microscope, enabling the buyer to appreciate their purchase fully. “Pharrell is fond of large hats, so we decided to make him a tiny bag,” Wiesner humorously remarked to the NYT.
MSCHF is well-known for crafting and trading in bizarre objects that satirically critique capitalism while simultaneously profiting from it. Nike previously sued them for altering 666 pairs of their sneakers with satanic symbols and infusing them with drops of actual human blood, though the case was ultimately settled out of court.
More recently, they destructed four highly-priced Birkin bags to create sandals, cheekily referred to as “Birkinstocks,” which fetched up to US$76,000 per pair.
MSCHF continues to push boundaries and generate buzz with their unconventional creations. Whether it’s modifying existing products with a provocative twist or creating something entirely novel like this Microscopic Handbag, it’s evident that their unique perspective on capitalism and creativity continues to captivate the art and fashion world. With the high auction prices their creations fetch, MSCHF makes a statement and profits substantially. It remains to be seen what quirky, controversial, or minuscule design they’ll develop next.
