A handbag smaller than a grain of sea salt will be sold next week as part of an auction hosted by Pharrell Williams‘ Joopiter. The upcoming sale, titled Just Phriends, is curated by Sarah Andelman, founder of the now-defunct Parisian concept boutique Colette.
The buzziest lot in Joopiter’s upcoming auction is MSCHF’s Microscopic Handbag. The 3D-printed piece, based on Louis Vuitton’s OnTheGo tote, can be measured in mere micrometers.
“Pharrell loves big hats, so we made him an incredibly small bag,” MSCHF’s chief creative officer, Kevin Wiesner, told the New York Times.
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Louis Vuitton‘s iconic monogram is etched into the resin piece, which comes mounted underneath a digital microscope so that its details are visible.
MSCHF has long dealt in parodies. Since the art collective’s inception in 2016, they’ve produced Birkenstocks made from actual Hermès Birkins and “Eat the Rich” popsicles, which traded the gum ball-garnished faces of cartoon characters for those of billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
The Microscopic Handbag intends to lampoon the tiny purse trend favored by labels like Jacquemus and Balenciaga in recent years. “I think ‘bag’ is a funny object because it derives from something rigorously functional,” Wiesner said. “But it has basically become jewelry.”
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Other Just Phriends lots include rare art pieces and objects by the likes of KAWS, Chanel and Tiffany & Co. Some of them, like MSCHF’s viral micro-micro-mini tote, were made specifically for the auction.
One of Pharrell’s own art pieces is also on the block. His 2009 collaboration with Takashi Murakami, “The Simple Things,” is a sculpture that features a diamond-encrusted sneaker, Pepsi can and Heinz ketchup bottle, among other items.
“The Simple Things” hasn’t been presented to the public since a 2010 exhibition at the Palace of Versailles. Now, more than a decade later, it’ll go back on view at 8 Avenue Matignon in Paris during Men’s Fashion Week. Other lots from the auction will also be on display at this address from June 20 to 24.
The Just Phriends auction, which runs from June 19 to 27, coincides with the reveal of Pharrell’s debut collection with Louis Vuitton. He was announced as the label’s creative director of menswear in February, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh.