On Wednesday during Paris Fashion Week, Rabanne unveiled something quite extraordinary: the world’s most expensive handbag. This handbag is called the 1969 Nano bag and has been conceptualized in collaboration with French jeweller Arthus Bertrand. Of course, it would be hard not to say that such a bag is gorgeous thing when it boasts over 18-carat gold medallions.
Valued at an astonishing €250,000 (or approximately ₹2.3 crore), the handbag took 100 hours of exquisite craftsmanship. Camille Toupet, the artistic director of Arthus Bertrand shared the idea behind the piece: “In a perfect fusion of our two houses, I immediately envisioned the Rabanne pastille transformed into a medal.”
According to the official website of Rabanne, it has 371 18-carat gold discs that make up the gold nano bag from 1969. Still, it is not known if this singular piece will be on sale or if there are more versions.
The bag is a great tribute to the legacy of the fashion house and its costliest dress which created in 1968 for French singer Françoise Hardy, who died earlier this year. This was a masterpiece with no less than 1,000 gold tiles and 300 carats of diamonds.
Julien Dossena, creative director at Rabanne said the security precautions to guard Hardy’s dress were “cumbersome”, including a security escort and transport in an armored vehicle; she treated it as a “treasure”.
Founded in 1966 by a visionary Paco Rabanne, the fashion house is now world-renowned for innovative and experimental designs. A precursor of “space-age fashion,” Rabanne often made use of material such as paper, plastics, and metals when doing his artistic creations. His famous first collection consisted of a series of “unwearable dresses,” which set the tone for his pioneering career.
There were just too many celebrities who attended the fashion show, which took place on Wednesday evening-the front row included the likes of Cardi B, while Gigi Hadid walked down the runway. The brand collaborated for its latest offering, embracing a playful spirit by implementing the use of absurd textiles in accessories. The leather bag featured clear, rigid plastic; and the pumps, encased in the same transparent material.
Additionally, some of the dresses carried the vintage and signature Rabanne metalwork with fabulous triangular panels or metal studs.
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In the collection, there are also an amazing set of 1969 Nano bags, as well as two more new handbags that Rabanne will unveil for its 2025 spring/summer range: specifically, the 1969 Ceramic Bag in collaboration with ceramics house Astier de Villatte, as well as the 1969 Glass Bag with Murano glass medallions, created along with another very famous Italian glass master, Venini. These exquisite new bags can be pre-ordered at the Paris Rabanne boutique.