No one knows the hype of a collaboration quite like Alexander Wang. Which explains why the designer’s successful partnerships with labels like Adidas Originals, H&M and more recently, Uniqlo have become a distinguishing part of his business M.O. The latest brand that he’s adding to his resume for tie-ups is the Roman maison Bvlgari. The brand has just revealed that Wang will be the latest designer to reimagine its Serpenti Forever bags for a limited edition collection.
Launching this Sept, the outing is part of Bvlgari’s Serpenti Through The Eyes Of series sees the popular bag collection with the iconic snake-shaped clasp reinterpreted by a guest designer – it kicked off with shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood in 2017. It’s a smart move to tap on Wang’s creative mind to reinvent the bags; say what you’d want about his New York street-meets-party child aesthetic, the designer is a whizz when it comes to making desirable accessories. One just needs to look at the popularity of the Roxy and Attica bags among the cool crowd till today.
The idea for Wang’s Serpenti outing stems from the notion of what luxury packaging means. And because the Serpenti comes from a jewellery house, items like a jewellery box, dust bag and paper shopping bag naturally become visual cues for the bags. The result is a six piece-strong collection that is rendered in pretty Monet-esque colourways like white and mint green and in calfskin or exotic skins. The silhouettes, meanwhile, include a belt bag, a shopper and flap bags that show off Wang’s penchant for graphic lines and industrial touches in bag designs.
The flap bags, for instance, comes with a dramatic double and triple flap options that are crowned by two and three snakehead closures respectively. This gold-coloured hardware is based on a vintage-inspired serpent head jewel from the ’50s archives. Meanwhile, fans of the brand’s Serpenti watches would be glad to know that a minaudiere comes with a detachable chain bracelet constructed in the brand’s famous tubogas style. In short, these are the kind of bags Tommy Ton and gang would want to pap.
