Hermes’ Birkin may be one of the most exclusive and expensive bags in the world, but a new player on the market is about to outshine it. Literally.
French luxury fashion house Rabanne, formerly Paco Rabanne, recently showcased what they call the world’s “most expensive bag” during the spring 2025 runway show in Paris. The new 1969 Golden Bag, a collaboration between Maison Rabanne and artisan jeweller Arthus Bertrand, is handmade and carefully constructed from interlinked gold discs.
True to the late Paco Rabanne’s legacy of using unconventional materials on the runway, including metal, paper and plastics, the metallic Nano bag was crafted from 18-karat gold, taking 10 artisans over 100 hours to create it.
Of course, the one-of-a-kind arm candy is a tribute to Paco Rabanne’s legendary gold mini dress which he designed in 1968 for French singer Françoise Hardy, who passed away earlier this year. Known as the “world’s most expensive dress” at the time, it was constructed using 1 000 gold plaques inlaid with 300 carats of diamonds. It was so expensive that Hardy had to be transported in an armoured truck accompanied by armed security guards to the event she was attending in Paris.
Along with the 1969 Golden Bag, the luxury house debuted two more accessories as part of this season’s ready-to-wear collection – the 1969 Glass Bag composed of glass pastilles by Italian glassworks company Venini, and the 1969 Ceramic Bag, meticulously crafted from clay discs by Parisian workshop Astier de Villatte.
While the brand has called the 18-karat gold creation the “world’s most expensive bag”, technically it’s not. In 2002, Sotheby’s sold a Diamond Himalaya 30 for over $450 000, while the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, valued at $3.8 million, was auctioned by Christie’s in 2017 through a private sale.
