I wonder how Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga would have felt about this collaboration between the fashion house he started in 1919 and Bang & Olufsen; the two brands were the favorites of the royal families in their respective countries. This wouldn’t be the first collaboration between a high-end fashion house and audio manufacturer but the Balenciaga Speaker Bag actually makes sense and is something we can envision catching in a cafe along the French Riviera.
We’re pretty sure thieves would try their hand at liberating one from a table if the opportunity presented itself because this handbag doesn’t come without a hefty price tag.
Balenciaga and Bang & Olufsen have unveiled something different at Balenciaga’s 51st Couture show in Paris.
Note: Instead of the usual PA system, the music for the show was actually provided by the runway models carrying the speaker bag.
Speaker and Handbag Merge
The speaker bag is crafted to resemble the sculptural form of Balenciaga’s other handbags. However, the speaker bag is both a fully functional bag and portable Bluetooth speaker, a new hybrid product that pushes the boundaries of design and combines the worlds of fashion and wearable technology in a new way.
From Bang & Olufsen’s CEO Kristian Tear “…Working with Balenciaga has been an incredible experience and will also shape how we drive products and experiences that will disrupt the technology market in the future”.
From Miku Silvanto, Bang & Olufsen’s Chief Design Officer: “This bag is a testament to what happens when two very special companies with an unparalleled heritage of craftsmanship join forces. Both design teams are dedicated to excellence, and I think we together created something unique…Couture is custom, exclusive, culture-creating, and an art of making by extremely skilled craftsmen. From our aluminum factory to Balenciaga’s atelier to an entirely remarkable product. You have to see, hear and feel it and we are so excited to show it today”.
Speaker Bag Product Design
Here are some of the product design elements in this limited production run:
- Each bag is milled from a block of solid aluminum, before being pearl-blasted, anodized, and hand-polished at Bang & Olufsen’s Factory 5 in Struer, Denmark, over a period of several days for the perfect satin finish.
- The one solid block of raw aluminum allows for continuous flow all the way from handle to base.
- The front of the Balenciaga I Bang & Olufsen Speaker Bag features Bang & Olufsen’s signature portable speaker styling.
- The speaker hole pattern is meticulously placed to ensure the best sound quality without compromising on a sleek aesthetic.
- Behind the aluminum body is a powerful portable speaker, offering up to 18 hours of battery life and multipoint connectivity.
- At the speaker bag’s rear, a door opens to reveal a sizeable compartment wrapped in Balenciaga’s Italian lambskin leather which is assembled by hand.
- The bag is finished with a set of speaker controls placed under the handle.
- Balenciaga and Bang & Olufsen logos are laser-etched into the top of each piece.
Note: Although a lot of design information has been made available, no information on additional operational features or speaker/amp specifications of the speaker system has been provided.
Price & Availability
Only 20 pieces of the speaker bag will be available to purchase at the newly opened Balenciaga Couture store in Paris will be available. If you have to ask what the price is you probably can’t afford it.
Related reading: Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review
ORT
July 10, 2022 at 4:03 pm
They might as well hire Yoko Ono as Band ambASSador. Ugh…Idiocracy.
ORT
GordM
July 10, 2022 at 11:29 pm
That about sums up Bang & Olufsen right there.
Ian White
July 10, 2022 at 11:57 pm
Gord,
It does. But I have to tell you that their products have improved significantly in sound quality over the past 2 years. We’ve tried a number of them and they were more than just flashy industrial design. I still think the DALI Katch G2 is better than their wireless speakers below $1,000 but I’m totally smitten with it.
Ian White
Richard Rich
July 12, 2022 at 5:26 pm
So … it’s not that you genuinely feel someone asking for the price cannot afford it, but more so that you lazily regurgitated public information contained in the online articles published before yours and do not possess the journalistic aptitude to inform your readers what the bag costs. Oh. Okay.
Ian White
July 12, 2022 at 6:54 pm
Richard,
Robert actually wrote something that was accurate and not just PR fluff.
Neither brand let the press know how much the bag actually costs. And we asked more than once. But please continue…
Ian White
ORT
July 15, 2022 at 11:32 pm
Richy Rich…I think of the author of this piece as a WRITER, not a fAd Copy typist. You really should trust me on this…Or not. It matters little as what I say is the truth and you can take it or bereave it.
Think about that. I believe I under stand your line of seasoning but…and here comes the BIG but. Robert is a good man.
As for the bag in quextion? I could give a rodents derriere. I am a Man and Men do not carry murses. Not even musical murses. But a cursory inquiry of the interwebs came up with $3,000 AUD and if you wish to know what it costs in real (i.e., Amurica! LOL!) monies, feel free to check it out thy self.
No harm and no foul craven. 😉
ORT