'Lucent Metallic' Tote Bag (2019)
Issey Miyake
The recognisable structure of Issey Miyake's 'Bao Bao' bag is achieved with a series of triangular tiles that shift as the bag is moved to create new geometric forms. The versatile nature of the surface resembles origami and makes the bag changeable, moulding to the shape of its contents as well as to the wearer's body.
[V&A]
Bags: Inside Out
(July - January 2022)
Bags: Inside Out is the UK's most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the ultimate accessory. With an exclusive look inside the world of the factory and atelier, this exhibition explores our longstanding fascination with the bag, from designer handbags to despatch boxes, vanity cases to military rucksacks.
Bags project bold statements to the outside world whilst concealing our most treasured belongings. Featuring around 300 objects, varying in scale from tiny purses held on a fingertip to luxurious travel trunks, the exhibition explores the function, status and craftsmanship of these highly covetable objects from the 16th century to today.
The first section of the exhibition examines bags as practical objects designed to hold our belongings – from holiday outfits to confidential documents, make-up to money and even gas masks.
Titled Status and Identity, the second of the exhibition sections looks at the central role of the bag in celebrity culture as well as its notoriety amongst the political and societal elite.
The use of bags as a blank canvas for slogans, personal statements and political messages and their role as a public platform to share beliefs and convictions is represented through objects including an anti-slavery reticule bag from 1825, the 'I am NOT a Plastic Bag' tote by Anya Hindmarch and a 'My Body My Business' handbag by artist and activist Michele Pred.
The final section of the show will look at the Design and Making process from sketch to sample, sewing to selling. A 'maker's table' will allow visitors to get up close with bag making processes and materials, alongside newly commissioned interviews with designers and makers.
A hotbed for collaboration, the bag offers an opportunity for experimentation and statement designs. A 17th-century purse in the shape of a frog, Thom Browne's handbag in the form of his dog Hector and a Chanel bag transformed into a milk carton will explore the surrealism and humour evoked through accessories.
The exhibition finishes with designers experimenting with innovative and environmentally sustainable materials.
[V&A]
Taken in the V&A
'Lucent Metallic' Tote Bag (2019)
Issey Miyake
The recognisable structure of Issey Miyake's 'Bao Bao' bag is achieved with a series of triangular tiles that shift as the bag is moved to create new geometric forms. The versatile nature of the surface resembles origami and makes the bag changeable, moulding to the shape of its contents as well as to the wearer's body.
[V&A]
Bags: Inside Out
(July - January 2022)
Bags: Inside Out is the UK's most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the ultimate accessory. With an exclusive look inside the world of the factory and atelier, this exhibition explores our longstanding fascination with the bag, from designer handbags to despatch boxes, vanity cases to military rucksacks.
Bags project bold statements to the outside world whilst concealing our most treasured belongings. Featuring around 300 objects, varying in scale from tiny purses held on a fingertip to luxurious travel trunks, the exhibition explores the function, status and craftsmanship of these highly covetable objects from the 16th century to today.
The first section of the exhibition examines bags as practical objects designed to hold our belongings – from holiday outfits to confidential documents, make-up to money and even gas masks.
Titled Status and Identity, the second of the exhibition sections looks at the central role of the bag in celebrity culture as well as its notoriety amongst the political and societal elite.
The use of bags as a blank canvas for slogans, personal statements and political messages and their role as a public platform to share beliefs and convictions is represented through objects including an anti-slavery reticule bag from 1825, the 'I am NOT a Plastic Bag' tote by Anya Hindmarch and a 'My Body My Business' handbag by artist and activist Michele Pred.
The final section of the show will look at the Design and Making process from sketch to sample, sewing to selling. A 'maker's table' will allow visitors to get up close with bag making processes and materials, alongside newly commissioned interviews with designers and makers.
A hotbed for collaboration, the bag offers an opportunity for experimentation and statement designs. A 17th-century purse in the shape of a frog, Thom Browne's handbag in the form of his dog Hector and a Chanel bag transformed into a milk carton will explore the surrealism and humour evoked through accessories.
The exhibition finishes with designers experimenting with innovative and environmentally sustainable materials.
[V&A]
Taken in the V&A