Louis Vuitton’s Bizarre $39,000 Airplane Bag

Louis Vuitton’s Bizarre $39,000 Airplane Bag

If you’re an avgeek and fashionista (those are often mutually exclusive, in my experience, and I’m looking at myself here) who has $39,000 burning a hole in your pocket, then the new Louis Vuitton airplane bag designed by Virgil Abloh is probably for you.

And nope, this isn’t an April Fools’ joke, as this is actually part of Louis Vuitton’s fall/winter 2021 collection.

https://twitter.com/saint/status/1378030033269313538

Price aside, I can’t decide if this is my favorite or least favorite bag ever. I mean, I love that Louis Vuitton is embracing aviation, but what is this monstrosity of an airplane?

What do OMAAT readers think?

This Louis Vuitton Airplane-Themed Purse Costs $39,000

Luxury fashion has always delighted and perplexed me. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, far from flashing city lights and opulence and wealth. Where I’m from, Carhartt overalls and John Deere hats were as high-fashion as it got. So I had to rely on glossy magazines and cinema to remind me that there was another world out there. Because of my magazine obsession, I became enamored with name brands like Gucci and Chanel and, of course, Louis Vuitton. I loved the fantasy they created with their designs.

Now, as an adult who’s lived in cities and woken up to some of the uglier parts of the fashion industry, I’m less enchanted. But I still enjoy the drama of high-fashion extravaganza every now and then. And I still get amused when luxury brands create ridiculous, expensive, improbable pieces of art. Which is why I respect the latest Louis Vuitton product taking the internet by storm. It’s a purse from the new Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2021 menswear collection by artistic director Virgil Abloh. It looks like an airplane. Oh, and it costs $39,000.

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2021 Airplane Bag by Virgil Abloh

💰$39,000 pic.twitter.com/GEUmoylYqD — SAINT (@saint) April 2, 2021

Yes, that’s an absurd asking price for an accessory. (According to Design Taxi, you can buy an actual full-sized airplane for less money on eBay.) But the story behind Abloh’s line is pretty fascinating. His new line was inspired by the tourist vs. purist archetypes, which are contrasting masculine stereotypes. “It’s my organizing principle for my point of view when I make things,” Abloh told Vogue. “A tourist is someone who’s eager to learn, who wants to see the Eiffel Tower when they come to Paris. The purist is the person who knows everything about everything.”

Louis Vuitton

Abloh’s Louis Vuitton line is an autobiographical exploration of his African American heritage; the line is meant to express what it means to be an African American creative director in Europe.

Believe it or not, but $39,000 isn’t even as expensive as designer handbags get. For reference, the Olsen twins’ luxury fashion line The Row sells a handbag that costs $49,500. And Hermès, known for their wildly expensive purses, sells one that costs $2 million. At least this airplane bag has some quirk and a fascinating backstory.

New Louis Vuitton Handbag Is Shaped Like An Airplane

Louis Vuitton bags are sighted everywhere you look these days. Some are sporting the real deal and some are rockin’ their knock-offs. You definitely have a large assortment of styles to choose from when it comes to Louis Vuitton but you better be prepared to dish out big bucks for one of those purses. LV just released photos of their newest handbag design and it’s quite unique to say the least. The new purse is shaped like an airplane. And it has the traditional LV logo patterns on it. Yes, an AIRPLANE. It’s described as Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2021 Airplane Bag by Virgil Abloh and it retails for $39,000.

A Vogue article explains the purpose of the collection by designer Virgil Abloh. The article explains that the designer is positioning two masculine stereotypes together for contrast. The tourist vs. purist archetypes. A lot of it positions Abloh’s varying experiences as a Black man in the arena of clothes. His goal is to transform everyday objects into wearable art. Wait, what? So, everyday objects into wearable art? So that means we could have shoes shaped like cars next? I don’t know about all this.

Abloh explains the contrast of Tourist/Purist as: “A tourist is someone who’s eager to learn, who wants to see the Eiffel Tower when they come to Paris. The purist is the person who knows everything about everything.”

The bag looks like a toy. It wouldn’t surprise me if kids grab the purse and start playing with it since it looks like a big toy airplane. Talk about an expensive toy plane.

It should be available for purchase soon. I just can’t picture someone walking around with it being taken seriously.

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