Heritage

The Iconic Yasmine Bag

27/09/2024 — Vivienne Westwood

The Yasmine Bag was originally named after the French designer Yasmine Eslami, who worked for the house during the late 80’s. The silhouette was inspired by the teardrop shape of a traditional knitting bag Yasmine would carry during this period, to hold her absolute essentials: cigarettes, a lighter and lipstick.

One of the earliest Vivienne Westwood iterations of the ‘Yasmine bag’ was in pink gingham, complete with a gold frame. The style would later be revived and revisited through future collections, taking on reimagined styles and connotations, with each new version. The handbag was first presented at the Autumn-Winter 1988/89 runway show, ‘Time Machine’, where styles were offered in faux-fur fabrics or tattersall checks. The Yasmine bag later appeared in seminal Vivienne Westwood shows such as ‘Café Society’ for Spring-Summer 1994, and ‘Anglomania’ for Autumn-Winter 1993/94.

The style has become a signature of the house ever since: adorned in classic Harris Tweed, as an ode to Scottish craftmanship; decorated with hand-painted brushstrokes, following Vivienne’s DIY design approach; or printed with Jean Baptiste Oudry’s 'Fisherman and the Little Fish' painting, as a symbol of Vivienne’s reverence for the masters of art history. For the Autumn-Winter 2024/25 accessories collection, Vivienne Westwood presents the ‘Mini Yasmine Chain’, an evolution of the archival ‘Yasmine’ handbag, offered in a petite size. Available in eight colour ways, the playful silhouette is finished with a sporty contouring trim – inspired by the archival ‘HammerHead trainer’ from the Vivienne Westwood Autumn-Winter 1981/82 ‘Pirate’ collection. Variations include two seasonal tartans, one crafted in a soft Lochcarron of Scotland tartan mohair, and another in a vibrant pink, purple and chartreuse printed tartan. Two snake-print silhouettes in lime green and caramel pay homage to the original snake-print ‘HammerHead trainer.’.