Does size matter? This Louis Vuitton handbag is smaller than a grain of sea salt

Will you buy a handbag even tiny than a grain of sea salt? If you are thinking such a thing does not exist, you are wrong. MSCHF, a United States-based art collective known for its Big Red Boots and other unconventional products, has come out with another bizarre item – a rectangular lime green bag that is as big as a speck of dust.The miniature bag has Louis Vuitton’s monogram and is inspired by the French luxury fashion house’s OnTheGo tote.With a bag this small, let’s take a closer look at it.Microscopic HandbagMade of photopolymer resin, MSCHF’s 'Microscopic Handbag' measures 657 by 222 by 700 micrometers, as per The New York Times (NYT) report. The company had approached biotechnology manufacturers to make this fluorescent green bag using a “stereolithographic process commonly used for making tiny mechanical biotech structures,” New York Post reported.Its translucent handle and other features are visible once put the bag under a microscope. The company says their "art piece" is "narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle".To showcase this miniature bag at the 8 Avenue Matignon gallery in Paris from 20-24 June, it will be mounted beneath a microscope and sealed within a gel case, according to Vogue magazine.

Then, it will be sent for auction.

As per NYT, the bag will be sold at Just Phriends, an auction organised by Sarah Andelman and Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’s auction house, from 19-27 June. The starting bid is not known yet, noted Vogue. A ‘commentary’ on handbagsKevin Wiesner, the chief creative officer of MSCHF, told NYT that the bag was a “commentary” on shrinking luxury handbags.“I think ‘bag’ is a funny object because it derives from something rigorously functional,” he said. “But it has basically become jewellery.”MSCFH said in a statement: “As a once-functional object like a handbag becomes smaller and smaller, its object status becomes steadily more abstracted until it is purely a brand signifier”.“Previous small leather handbags have still required a hand to carry them—they become dysfunctional, inconveniences to their wearer.”In an interview with NYT, Wiesner said this handbag takes this trend of to its “logical conclusion by stripping away all of the bag’s utility”.“It is the final word in bag miniaturisation,” the Brooklyn-based creative arts company said in its statement.Wiesner told NYT that he hopes the buyer of this handbag will not accord it too much respect. “I almost hope somebody eats it,” he said.According to the chief creative officer, MSCHF had not taken Louis Vuitton’s permission to use its logo or design.ALSO READ: Why India is becoming the new darling of luxury brands across the globeSocial media reactsAs the brand posted the pictures of this minuscule handbag on Instagram, netizens went into a frenzy.A user wrote sarcastically: “Finally, a bag that fits all this cash”. Another wrote, “Imagine, you drop it”.Applauding the effort, a user commented: “Actually incredible. I’d love to see how the absolute tiniest details were done”.When MSCHF hit the headlinesThis is not the first time MSCHF has got people talking about its out-the-box product. As per NYT, the collective has employed parody and controversy to make statements on “absurdities of consumer culture” previously as well.MSCHF is "a counter-culture media/product brand, playing in a gray area that isn't yet defined by traditional approaches," Daniel Greenberg, the company's head of commerce, had told CBS News in 2019.Earlier this year, the company released the Big Red Boots, which it described as “cartoon boots for a cool 3-D world.” People had taken to TikTok to share their experiences of trying to remove the boots, with one commenting, “Now u know how Ronald feels”, a reference to McDonald's primary mascot.Last year, the company came out with a black MSCHF logo handbag that had the manufacturing label of “Italy, Texas” – a quip on the made-in-Italy tag that most designer handbags feature, noted Vogue.In 2019, it launched “Jesus Shoes,” or customised Nike Air Max 97s that had holy water in the soles sourced from the River Jordan. The shoes were on sale for as high as $4,000 (more than Rs 300,000).With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.