Reinterpreting Serpenti: Nicholas Kirkwood designs handbags for Bulgari

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Renowned for his audacious and architectural footwear, British designer Nicholas Kirkwood has teamed up with Italian luxury brand Bulgari for a new handbag collection.

This is Kirkwood's first collaboration since his own brand was acquired in 2013 by conglomerate LVMH, which is also Bulgari's parent company. Kirkwood's move is widely seen as an opportunity to spread his wings beyond footwear.

Courtesy of Bulgari

"We’re a very different company than we were before,” says Kirkwood. “The last couple of years we’ve had a lot of reorganization, and now I’m at the point where I’d like to work on more collaborations... For me, it was [an opportunity] to work on another product.”

With bags priced upwards from 2,600 US dollars each, the collection is inspired by Bulgari's iconic "Serpenti Forever" motif.

British shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood./ Reuters photo‍

Explaining the concept behind his handbag designs, Kirkwood said, "I wanted there to be this slightly more contemporary London feel about the collection, but still execute it in a very Bulgari way."

He also added that he hopes to explore the possibility of offering more than footwear in the future from his namesake brand.

(Front photo: courtesy of Bulgari)