Every day is a great day to be a Louis Vuitton handbag, but today is particularly special as Yayoi Kusama’s Louis Vuitton Pumpkin Bag has just sold for a record-breaking $151,200 at auction. This staggering price makes it the most expensive LV handbag ever sold at auction, an anticipated record given the buzz and headlines it has generated since the collaboration between the French maison and the renowned Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama.
The Pumpkin Bag, a whimsical creation that no ordinary fairy godmother could conjure with a simple ‘bibbity bobbity boo,’ made history at Christie’s inaugural Handbags Online: The September Edition auction. It immortalized the 93-year-old contemporary artist’s work in the realm of high fashion and even broke a previous record held by another pumpkin bag that sold for $44,100 at Christie’s in December 2023. Crafted from grained cowhide leather and adorned with black LV monograms and motifs, this one-of-a-kind collectible was initially expected to fetch between $10,000 and $15,000 but ended up selling for more than fifteen times that estimate.
Back in 2012, the Kusama Pumpkin Minaudière was sold exclusively by Selfridges London for a whopping $133,430. Fast forward to the present auction, while the charming pumpkin bag became the most expensive LV bag ever sold at auction, it was still overshadowed by a rare Hermès Himalaya Retourné Kelly 25, made from matte Niloticus crocodile and featuring palladium hardware, which fetched $163,800. It seems pumpkins are no match for crocodiles, as Hermès handbags continue to reign as the holy grail of high fashion arm candy, truly soothing the soul of any fashionista. The September Edition sale achieved nearly $2 million in total.
