Fendi wants you to risk it all for its super rare glow-in-the-dark bag

Talk about a glow up. Since daylight savings hit, we’ve been feeling especially down. This new Fendi drop, however, may just make us like the dark. The Italian fashion house enlisted New York-based artist Sarah Coleman to reinterpret its iconic “PeekABoo ISeeU” bag, including a glow-in-the-dark version. The new drop was created for 2020 Design Miami, and accordingly, features phosphorescent "FF" beads and embroidery.

This isn’t the first time Fendi has tapped into an artistic collaboration. Joshua Vides, a Los Angeles creative, lent his signature cartoon-style graphics to a handful of the luxury brand’s designs, including these optical illusion sneakers. Now, Sarah Coleman revamps Fendi’s classics in her own fashion.

Warped vision — In partnership with Fendi’s creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, Coleman created three styles in total. A bright yellow version of the PeekABoo bag sports embossed “FF” patterns, while a multicolored embroidered “FF” design covers a white bag with a canvas base. All bags feature distorted versions of the traditional Fendi iconography, which Coleman actually designed by manipulating the print in FaceTune. The artist also altered Fendi's recognized "FF" symbol and Pequin logos with a vertigo effect, which now appears on the facade of the Fendi Miami Boutique.

The real star of the show here, though, is the glow-in-the-dark PeekABoo. In daylight, the all-white Nappa leather bag looks inconspicuous. At a closer look, the details make sure the bag fits within the collection’s distinctive, Miami-esque feel. The warped “FF” pattern is carefully beaded with white phosphorescent beads, making sure the Miami sun it soaks up will be put to use later.

At night, the bag comes alive. The charged beads glow-in-the-dark, appearing more like sequins. Allowing the shape of the purse to literally shine, the rim of the purse glows neon green under the dark. It’s a bag like no other, and if I had the money (or somewhere to wear this to), I would buy it.

While you may not be able to rave with the purse just yet, you can visit a similar setting by stepping inside Fendi’s Miami boutique, which Coleman also redesigned. The artist took fabrics from Fendi's handbags to reupholster the store’s furniture in vibrant prints and collaged a chair with archival Fendi imagery printed on vintage magazine paper.

Exclusive or exclusionary? — You might just have to visit the space if you want to get your hands on this purse. Sarah Coleman and Fendi’s collection will launch exclusively at the Miami Design District beginning November 23, while her reimagined store design will be displayed from November 27 to December 6.

It seems odd to release such a limited collection in-person while in the middle of a pandemic that restricts travel. Especially seeing as the store is located in a state with the highest amount of cases (and little management of them), you might be better off finding a proxy or buying resale. The bag is cool, but not COVID-cool.