A Hong Kong-based designer is selling “reworked” customised vintage Louis Vuitton bags as one-of-a-kind luxury items.
Jonathan Riss uses intricate embroidery techniques to hand embellish the classic LV Keepalls, available for release through his clothing brand Jay Ahr. Each bag is disassembled and worked on separately by a team of embroiderers in India, China, Japan and Peru.
According to the artist, “This is a purely personal project born out of the wish to bring together all the embroidery techniques that I have developed in the last 20 years… it was so important to use a timeless travel item like the Keepall as the base for the embroidery – this item is as relevant in our lives today as it will be in 20 years’ time.”
The embroideries, designed to look as though they are part of the original fabric, are being sold for between US$7000 and $15,000 each.
He said the reinvention of pre-owned, vintage Louis Vuitton bags, which are sometimes quite worn, into a unique contemporary object was very interesting to him. Riss said. “I am sure my customers will feel the same way as I do.”
