But
now Virgil Abloh's Off-White brand is turning the fashion world on its
head with the release of its intentionally 'unfunctional' handbag.
The Meteor
is Off-White's latest top handle bag, but the design comes with large
holes punched directly through the leather to make the purse unable to
carry any item without it falling out.
Alert the fashion presses:
Off-White, Virgil's brand, unveiled its newest handbag ahead of its
fashion show in Paris, France, on Thursday
New concept: The bag entitled The
Meteor ($1,665) is a top handle bag with holes punched through the
leather, making it so the purse can't carry any items
When announcing the launch of the handbag, the brand confessed in a press release that it was 'unfunctional' for the consumer, Vogue reports.
Unfunctional: Off-White released
the bag to challenge 'the concept of a bag itself, one of the most
common objects in our everyday lives'
The
purpose of the bag, instead, is to challenge 'the concept of a bag
itself, one of the most common objects in our everyday lives.'
Functional
or not, Off-White is retailing the fashion accessory for $1,665 for
anyone who is looking to carry a bag with no items inside.
Off-White also sells a similar bag to the new Meteor bag that is without the holes.
Its
Jitney bag offers a similar design with the arrows crossing on the flap
of the handbag. But the item provides a more affordable, and realistic,
option for customers, as it is priced at just over $1,000 with no
holes.
Designer Virgil is known for being Kanye West's fashion protegee.
He
went on to launch the Off-White brand in 2012, which debuted its
upcoming Spring 2020 collection featuring the unfunctional bag in Paris,
France, on Thursday.
Handbags have become one fashion accessory used by designers as of late to spark conversations within industry.
Earlier
this year, French fashion label Jacquemus debuted a micro bag during
Paris Fashion Week that only had room for one small item.
Showcase:
Models at the brand's Paris Fashion Week show were seen carrying the
bags with their arms going right through the holes
Who needs storage? The bags look more like a glorified bracelet than a purse
The
brand, which is already well known for its micro handbags costing
between $345 and $795, sent models down the runway with the minuscule
accessories hanging from a single finger.
Most people thought the micro bag was the most unfunctional option out there. That is until Off-White released its Meteor bag.
Virgil
picked four women creatives within the fashion industry — Ana Gimeno
Brugada, Carla Sozzani, Patricia Urquiola, and Karla Otto — to model the
new bag for the brand's campaign images as opposed to hiring models in
their 20s.
'Each muse styles the Meteor
in her own way, extending [her] own superior style to this new
classic,' Virgil told Vogue about the decision.
When
speaking about the bag, he added: 'Under the guise of "womenswear,"
the Meteor bag brings to [life] the notion of a strong spirit,
[something that is] able to withstand natural disasters and take on a
life of its own.'
People can get their hands on the unfunctional Meteor bag beginning on September 29 in select retailers.
Old trend: This 'unfunctional' bag comes after the trend of carrying a micro purse around
Worth it? Earlier this year, French
fashion label Jacquemus debuted a tiny bag during Paris Fashion Week
that only had room for one small item
