Louis Vuitton's Handbag "Zoo"

(I guess this is old news, but no one I've talked to seems to know about it so...)

In honor of the design house's 100th anniversary in 2012, Louis Vuitton commissioned British artist, Billie Achilleos, to create the "Maroquinaris Zoologicae", a collection made entirely out of the brand's signature handbags and small leather goods.

Wait, wait, wait...

Louis Vuitton is making fake animals... out of real animals?

Yyyyep!
23 gorgeously hand-crafted leather animals to be exact...

Iguana, duck, squirrel,

armadillo, 

cricket, 

and life-size panda bear, just to name a few...

           On the one hand, I'm incredibly impressed. Coming from a background of selling designer handbags at Nordstrom, attending designer triangle meetings for insight on exactly how the pieces are made, taking classes and attempting to sew leather myself (and breaking three needles), it's not at all hard for me to be able to appreciate such amazing craftsmanship that went into this installation- not to mention the time it took to execute! The giant panda alone took two months and 74 bags to complete... If that doesn't deserve applause I don't know what does.

           On the other hand, I try to shop vegan when I can. I don't necessarily believe that animals are here for us to "use". I am very much aware that in the wild, creatures hunt, kill, and use one another for sustenance, but we humans have this thing called "money", and we just don't know when to stop. We take more than we need, and it creates imbalance. 

           I'll be the first to admit that I'm always ogling over the latest Ferragamo satchels and Valentino totes, but the excessive use of real animal to create fake ones here does make me the tiniest bit uncomfortable. I think I would have really loved to see Vuitton using such a magnificent display as a way to create hype for a non-profit organization in order to help animals that might be endangered or something, giving the collection a more meaningful and pro-active purpose. But alas, the world is round, the sky is blue, and Louis Vuitton does what Louis Vuitton wants. 

           What's your take? Are the leather animals more impressive than inconsiderate? Or is it just too ironic to be able to enjoy?... I'm really on the fence here- I wanna know what you think!

Original article from The Denizen, April 2012

Photos by Rex Features