Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry has unveiled 11 limited-edition handbags for fashion brand Louis Vuitton at Art Basel Miami Beach during Miami art week. Named Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry, the collection contains bags informed by the Canadian-American architect's buildings and by animals.
They were displayed at Art Basel Miami Beach in an installation featuring several of Gehry's previous pieces for the brand.
For the collection, Gehry reimagined a trio of Louis Vuitton Capucines bags based on the form and finish of some of his best-known buildings.
The Capucines BB Shimmer Haze bag has a shimmering, translucence finish made from six panels of Plexiglas, informed by the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, while the Capucines MM Concrete Pockets bag was designed with a multi-layered calfskin finish to evoke the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
According to Gehry, he aimed to experiment and have fun with the collection. "It's not something I usually do – handbags – so it's a search for ideas," he said. "Every creative person goes through that, it's very similar to making a movie, shooting a rocket to the moon." "There are very various levels of creativity and the expertise you bring to it are years of experience and in my case I've built a lot of buildings so I can shorthand stuff – I've been having a lot of fun at my young age of 94," he continued.