Even before the advent of so-called “girl math,” a Gucci handbag has always been considered an investment. And nowhere is that more evident than in a new collaboration between Christie’s and the Italian label, which will auction three unique Bamboo handbags as part of a Handbags Online: The Paris Edit series launching on October 31 and running until November 14.
“When the Gucci Vault project launched, I was immediately interested,” recalls Rachel Koffsky, SVP, International Head of Handbags at Christie’s, about the Italian label’s initiative which works on both a sustainability level—upcycling old materials in collaboration with young designers—and on consumers’ eternal quest to own truly unique objects. For The Paris Edit, Gucci sourced three vintage Bamboo bags, and reimagined them in the most opulent materials in a process they are calling “Made-to-Treasure.”
It was a post-war Italy of material rationing and shortages, when Guccio Gucci and the Florentine artisans settled on bamboo as a unique material that could be manipulated to create an immediate visual statement. The bamboo handles of the Gucci handbag are famously forged “over an open fire,” and their signature look eventually became one of the label’s most popular styles .
The three pieces that will be included in the auction play with this heritage; for the purists, a version of the original bag made from the all-over logo canvas from the 1960s is expected to fetch between $6,000 and $8,000. But for those on the lookout for something a little extra, consider a piece in smooth terracotta-colored leather featuring a hand-carved Murano glass handle hand-painted with the label’s “Herbarium” print. “There’s an emphasis on sustainability,” Koffsky adds. “The painting process took 30 hours by the skilled artisans at Gucci ArtLab. Glass is a highly recyclable material and can be considered sustainable for many reasons —it can be melted down and reused many times.” This Gucci handbag is estimated at $21,000 to $32,000.
The most opulent of them all is made from sleek black leather with an 18-carat gold handle that’s encrusted with 927 diamonds (and an appropriate estimated sale price of $159,000 to $212,000).
“Christie’s is not only a marketplace where collectors come to acquire precious pieces, but it is also a resource of education for the public,” Koffsky explains. She sees the collaboration as a way to educate people on the history of the iconic accessory and added that the Christie’s handbag department is one of the strongest drivers of new clients at the storied auction house. “We certainly expect that this collaboration will be the first time many people will bid at auction, and we want to make it fun and easy to participate in our sales.”
