Bulgari Taps Artists to Reimagine the Serpenti Forever Handbag
Bulgari unveiled an inspired capsule collection of Serpenti Forever handbags entitled “Serpenti in Art,” earlier this month during Paris Haute Couture Week. Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Bulgari’s divine serpent icon, the Italian fashion house collaborated with artists Sunwoo Kim, Sophie Kitching, and Zhou Li on six handbag designs—in a limited series of 75 pieces each—utilizing the iconic accessory as a precious canvas for mesmerizing works of art. Each visionary evokes the mystical, organic ecosystem of the serpent in their own way, using vivid color, texture, and imagery to bridge transformative pathways between mother nature’s beauty and the poetic human imagination.
Sunwoo Kim’s “Day,” courtesy of Bulgari.
Influenced by the Beauty of Bulgari Jewelry and the Magic of Serpenti
Korean painter Kim’s whimsical depiction of the dodo bird—a mascot for the universal journey towards enlightenment—energizes the Bulgari Serpenti Forever Top Handle bag with a thematic design titled “Day.” Crisp shades of green surround the white feathered birds with playful yellow feet and brown beaks as they ardently explore a peaceful, leafy paradise. A sleek, snakehead closure is embellished with powerful onyx eyes and hypnotic, verdant enamelwork. In homage to the duality inherent in life and in nature, the “Night” version illustrates a fantastical flight of the moonlit birds across a gold glitter and embroidered starlit sky. A diamond-cut snakehead is an alluring vision with a tactile metallic surface and sculptural lapis lazuli eyes.
Sophie Kitching’s “Nocturne” and “Invisible Green,” courtesy of Bulgari.
French-British artist Kitching elicits the majesty of the serpent’s transformation throughout an enchanting day on earth with the “Invisible Green” and “Nocturne” handbags, shimmering with foliage and multi-faceted snakehead jewels on white or black landscapes.
Zhou Li’s “Ocean,” courtesy of Bulgari.
Inspired by Nature’s Wonders, Transformed into Wearable and Experiential Art
Chinese creative Zhou Li fuses her talent for immersive public art into “Ocean,” a surreal adaptation of her painting series “Landscape of Nowhere: Water and Dreams” in optimistic pastels with melodious brush strokes. Li’s powerful installation “Metamorphosis – The Ring of Life” provided the inspiration for “Forest,” a complex, charming handbag that alludes to Chinese landscape paintings with art nouveau and minimalist design details; a glistening, geometric brass handle boasts mirror finishes and gemstone inlays, juxtaposed with an abstract, natural utopia and dancing golden embroidery.
Designs by Sunwoo Kim, Zhou Li, and Sophie Kitching, courtesy of Bulgari.
Each work of art within the Bulgari Serpenti in Art collection also unlocks an NFT adventure for the owner—a 3-D video created by the respective artist that revels in the enduring circle of life and its meaningful expression in both art and fashion.
Sunwoo Kim’s “Day,” courtesy of Bulgari.
Sunwoo Kim’s “Night,” courtesy of Bulgari.
