A tote bag that’s smaller than a grain of salt? Yes.
The ‘Microscopic Handbag’ was sold for Rs 51 lakh at an online auction on June 27, 2023 by Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF. The diminutive bag is inspired by the luxury brand Louis Vuitton’s OnTheGo tote.
The fluorescent green bag can only be properly seen under a microscope, measuring 657 x 222 x 700 micrometers. It has ‘LV’ carved at the centre. According to MSCHF, it is “smaller than a grain of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle.” The bag was created using a technique called two-photo polymerization, popularly used for 3D printing micro-scale plastic parts.
MSCHF, a brand known for its bizarre and controversial designs has shoes that has human blood, Jesus shoes and giant red rubber boots. The tiny tote just adds to the list.
The initial bid put forward by Joopitar, an auction house founded by Pharell Williams was at $15,000 earlier this month. The price of this tiny piece of art also includes the price of the digital microscope that is needed to get a glimpse of it.
Kevin Wiesner, chief creative officer at MSCHF while talking about the design of the bag and using the logo of Louis Vuitton told the New York Times that the group had not sought permission from the luxury to use it. He said, “We are big in the ‘ask forgiveness, not permission’ school.”
