The Strand bookstore's iconic tote bag "is getting a high fashion makeover: Bottega Veneta is reworking the canvas totes into limited edition leather, creating a bag that will last as long as the Strand's legendary 18 miles of books" in Manhattan, Nylon reported. The bags, which range from $1,495 to $3,100, will be available exclusively at the Bottega Veneta Soho store starting September 8 and online beginning September 15.
Accompanying the release are a series of single-panel cartoons specially commissioned with the New Yorker "to celebrate the legacy--and clout--of the Strand and its bags," Nylon noted, adding: "And because you need something to put in the bag, if you can still afford to do so after buying it, Bottega Veneta's creative director Matthieu Blazy has also curated a selection of some of his favorite books--spanning from art and photography to fashion and architecture, available at the Strand until September 30."
Blazy told the New York Times recently that he is obsessed with the Strand, making it not just a his first stop on his trips to New York City, but "almost a motif that recurs throughout my life. "
Vogue featured his book list, and Blazy said, "From going there on my initial visit to New York as a teenager, it’s always [been] a space of physical exploration with the pleasure of the unexpected and finding something new."