CNN
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Bringing your lunch from home to the office is one way to save money. Unless, perhaps, Pharrell Williams packed her lunch in her $3,000+ Louis Vuitton sandwich bag.
Record producer and designer Williams, who was appointed men’s creative director at the French luxury fashion house in February last year, appears to have taken inspiration from the classic paper sandwich bag for one of his latest designs, making it a high-fashion Reconsidered as an accessory.
During Williams’ debut collection at the Pont Neuf in Paris last June, the large clutch bags that were wedged under the arms of models on the runway were replaced with paper in the exact same colors as the brand’s famous colors. The label read “(paper) shopping bag made from cowhide leather”.
The comparison doesn’t end there. Precisely folded to resemble something more everyday, this accessory features the iconic Louis Vuitton lettering and the grosgrain handles of the house’s bags to keep your sandwich or something more precious safe. It also has a reminiscent blue clasp.
The piece was released exclusively at the brand’s West Hollywood pop-up store on January 4th and was priced at $3,130. But this isn’t the first time Louis Vuitton has taken inspiration from everyday (and traditionally much cheaper) accessories.
For its Spring/Summer 2007 collection, the fashion house paid homage to the affordable checkered plastic laundry bag beloved around the world. In 2022, the brand also released a crossbody bag with a metal handle that resembles a paint can, “a playful nod to Louis Vuitton heritage.”
This paint can bag was designed by Louis Vuitton’s late creative director Virgil Abloh, who was famous for turning everyday objects into art, as he said in a 2021 interview with design magazine Icon. He cited Marcel Duchamp as one of his heroes.
Other fashion houses are also adopting this approach. In 2014, designer Ashish Gupta transformed plastic shopping bags into sequined statement pieces at a premium price, with a “respect for everyday life”.
“Perhaps this is also a revolt against the disposable nature of fast fashion,” Gupta added in a 2017 email to CNN. “We’re taking something classic but disposable and turning it into something that lasts a long time. Its timeless design quality makes it something to be appreciated outside of its normal context.”
However, such designs can cause controversy and be ridiculed. In 2017, Balenciaga released a $2,145 bag that looked exactly like Ikea’s iconic 99-cent rumpled blue “Fracta” bag, and it quickly became a social media sensation.