Creative director of Ambush, Yoon Ahn, is the latest designer to reinterpret Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti handbag and accessories collection.
The Tokyo-based designer brings neon brights and a contemporary edge to the Ambush x Bulgari collection. The Serpenti Forever bag is reborn as a shoulder bag, belt bag and as the heart-shaped Serpenti Minaudiere, which all keep the Serpenti motif firmly at the heart of their design. ‘History is essential because it's the root and story of the house,’ says Ahn. ‘When you work with a heritage house, it's important to remember that while the ‘design' embodies the spirit, it must reflect the time and the context. Bulgari was very open to seeing how I could re-interpret the Serpenti heritage line, and I took it to a place where they have never been before.’
The sensual lines of the snake are still there, its coils now the outline of the Serpenti shoulder bag or in the heart shape of the Minaudiere, which nods to the natural position snakes assume in the wild. ‘It was essential to express the beauty of snakes and capture it in a more approachable and lively way. Bags have been padded to mimic the fluidity of their bodies,’ Ahn explains. ‘The Serpenti head wrapped in the same leather blends with the body, so it looks like one full animal. I haven’t seen this in Bulgari’s designs previously.’ Ahn, also Dior Men’s director of jewellery, adds an opulent edge to the functional. The snake’s head acts as the closure of the bag and comes complete with reptilian eyes in mother-of-pearl or black onyx; thickly interwoven metallic chains pay homage to both Bulgari and Ahn’s jewellers’ DNA while adding a toughness to buttersoft Nappa leather.
Ahn’s modern take may rethink a classic symbol, but ultimately, the juxtaposition of cultures and aesthetics is an organic one. ‘My approach to design is instinctive, and always from the dual perspective of a creator and a user. I kept it honest,’ she says.
INFORMATION
Bags are available to pre-order from 11 August and will be in store from 3 September
-
Every cloud: discover Shiqi Fu’s dreamy jewelleryShiqi Fu translates childhood fantasy into playful jewellery design
-
Aesop’s ethereal boutiques: explore the brand’s design philosophy in a short film
Perfectly integrated into the local urban fabric, Aesop’s three new boutiques showcase the brand’s powerful yet pared-back design philosophy
-
When Barber Osgerby met Giulio Cappellini
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby tell Wallpaper* about working with design visionary Giulio Cappellini, Guest Editor of our October 2023 issue
-
Samuel Ross unveils his Hublot Big Bang watch design
Samuel Ross brings a polished titanium case and orange rubber strap to the Hublot Big Bang watch
-
Playful design meets chic heritage in the Hermès Kelly watch
The new Kelly watch from Hermès rethinks the original 1975 timepiece
-
Discover the tonal new hues of the classic Nomos Club Campus watch
The Nomos classic wristwatch Club Campus now comes in two new collegiate colours. The perfect graduation gift from the Glashütte manufacture
-
Bulgari unveils the thinnest mechanical watch in the world
The new Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra watch is a record-breaking feat of engineering
-
Breitling and Triumph unite on a racy new watch and motorcycle
1960s design codes are infused with a contemporary edge in the collaboration between Breitling and Triumph
-
Gerald Genta’s mischievous Mickey Mouse watch design is rethought for a new era
The Gerald Genta Retrograde with Smiling Disney Mickey Mouse watch pays tribute to Genta’s humorous design codes
-
Shinola honours Georgia O’Keeffe with a new watch
Shinola Birdy watch stays faithful to the minimalist codes of Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting, My Last Door
-
Bulgari’s new book celebrates women and high jewellery
Bulgari Magnifica: The Power Women Hold, published by Rizzoli New York, takes a closer look at the female muses who inspired the spectacular Magnifica high jewellery collection
