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The luxury accessory, crafted from 18-karat gold, draws inspiration from the brand's iconic 1968 "most expensive dress" designed by Paco Rabanne for French singer Françoise Hardy.
The bag, dubbed the 1969 Nano, pays homage to Rabanne's legacy of using unconventional materials in fashion. This reveal follows the brand's recent spotlight moment when American singer Chappell Roan wore a medieval-themed chainmail dress by Rabanne to the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month.
Julien Dossena, Rabanne's current creative director, has tapped into the fashion house's rich archives for this creation. The original 1968 dress, made from 1,000 gold tiles and adorned with 300 carats of diamonds, required extensive security measures when worn by Hardy due to its immense value.
The 1969 Nano bag, a collaborative effort between Rabanne and French artisan jeweler Arthus Bertrand, required 100 hours of meticulous craftsmanship. It comes with a price tag of €250,000, reflecting its exclusive nature and intricate construction.
Accompanying this centerpiece were two other notable handbag designs on the runway. The Handcrafted 1969 Glass Bag features Murano glass pastilles created by Venice's Venini glassmaking house, resulting in a unique marbled effect. Additionally, Rabanne presented a Ceramic Bag composed entirely of ceramic discs crafted by Astier de Villatte.
These creations align with Paco Rabanne's revolutionary 1966 debut collection, "12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials," which established the designer's reputation for using metals, plastics, paper, and gold in wearable fashion pieces.
The presentation of these extraordinary accessories at Paris Fashion Week underscores Rabanne's continued commitment to pushing boundaries in luxury fashion design, blending heritage with innovation.
Kristin Kaye
Insatiably curious about human expression, she immerses herself in literature, theater, art, and dance. Her academic journey led to degrees in Modern Literature, where she delved into The Furioso, and Historical Sciences with a focus on Contemporary History. Her studies took her to the prestigious Erasmus University Rotterdam, broadening her international perspective.
Her passion for culture isn't confined to personal enjoyment—it spills onto the pages of various publications. There, she explores not only artistic endeavors but also civil rights issues and the myriad ways human culture manifests itself. For her, writing about these topics isn't just a profession; it's an irresistible calling that stems from her deep-seated fascination with the human experience.