The World’s ‘Most Expensive Bag’ Just Debuted on the Runway in Paris

The Birkin bag just met its match.

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On Wednesday, French luxury fashion house Rabanne—formerly known as Paco Rabanne—unveiled what’s being dubbed the world’s “most expensive bag” during its spring 2025 runway show in Paris. The metallic Nano bag, crafted from 18-karat gold, is a one-of-a-kind tribute to the iconic minidress that the late designer created for style icon Françoise Hardy in 1968, WWD reported. The head-turning garment was made from 1,000 gold plaques and inlaid with 300 carats of diamonds—the “most expensive dress” of its time. Hardy, who was attending a jewelry trade fair in the City of Light, had to be transported in an armored truck and accompanied by security guards.

The new 1969 Golden Bag was a collaboration between Maison Rabanne and artisan jeweler Arthus Bertrand, creative director Julien Dossena told Robb Report’s sister site. The chainmail purse, priced at a whopping €250,000 (or about $278,353), took 100 hours to craft by hand and was constructed from interlinked gold discs. Since the brand was founded in 1966, Rabanne has been known for its futuristic, space-age creations encompassing unusual materials such as metal, paper, and even plastics.

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During Rabanne’s most recent Paris Fashion Week presentation, which included everyone from Cardi B to Ed Westwick and Camila Cabello as guests, the label revealed two other innovative accessories as part of this season’s ready-to-wear collection. There’s the 1969 Glass Bag, composed of glass pastilles by Venini, a famed Italian glassworks company founded in Venice in 1921. Rabanne also sent the 1969 Ceramic Bag down the runway, made of tiny clay discs by the Parisian workshop Astier de Villatte. “They were really exceptional pieces to work with,” Dossena told WWD of the three handbags, which are available to order at the Paris Rabanne boutique.

The Hermès Birkin is notorious for sporting a hefty price tag and for being a status symbol among A-listers including Jennifer Lopez, Kris Jenner, and Victoria Beckham. The prized purses are only released in limited numbers and are handcrafted from high-grade leathers and adorned with precious metals and gemstones. On the auction block, the luxury totes can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most notably, a rare white Diamond Himalaya Niloticus Birkin hammered down for a record $379,261 in 2016 during Christie’s 30th Anniversary Hong Kong sale.

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