PUMA is drawing consumers even deeper into its fashionable web through collaborations with some of the hottest artists around the world. To coincide with the opening of the exhibition "30 Americans" at the Rubell Family collection in Miami, PUMA has unveiled the Reality Bag No. 2, which was designed alongside Swiss artist John Armleder and is inspired by his trademark spider motif. This is the second collaboration between PUMA and Armleder — their first Reality Bag was unveiled in October 2007 at London's Serpentine Gallery.
Not only is this a statement-making bag, but the fact that PUMA has timed its release to coincide with the "30 Americans" exhibition and that it has found ways to bring attention to the show (both by sponsoring the event and including various references to it in this design, which I'll detail below) is telling of the company's unwavering support towards the art community. The "30 Americans" exhibition features works by such artists as: Mark Bradford, Iona Rozeal Brown, Nick Cave, Rashid Johnson, Wangechi Mutu, Xaviera Simmons, Mickalene Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley.
But let's get back to the Spider Woman of the bag world. The Reality No. 2 measures 16" in width, 18" in height and 6" in depth, making it a roomy, convenient handbag alternative. But, of course, what makes this bag so incredibly hot is its funky design. I personally love the color combination (blue and orange just go so well together), and how it's worked into every detail — there's the oversize spider graphic along the front of the bag, the orange zipper, the contrast stitching along the handle and shoulder strap, and more. Not only does the leather bag itself feature embossed spider icons, but one of the metal tags dangling from the handles (see second photo from top) also features an engraved spider design, while another one has the bag's number engraved in it. The bottom of the bag, meanwhile, is made out of wood and features a cutout of the PUMA icon.
PUMA's Reality No. 2 Bag comes with tons of goodies: a matching leather pouch and wallet; a set of colored pencils; a USB drive preloaded with a film by Jennifer Rubell; a notepad featuring reproduced scribbles by the artists in the exhibition; an XS T-shirt (pictured third from top); a signed Reality No. 2 display map; a numbered certificate; and a 30 Americans exhibition catalog.
Only 500 pieces are available — the one pictured above is No. 326/500 and is available only at RevolveClothing.com.
PUMA Reality Bag No. 2, $2400. Visit RevolveClothing.com
