Zip Bag
Manufactured by Longchamp, Paris
As the zips in garments and accessories are normally quite short, it struck Heatherwick Studio as funny that zipper is manufactured and sold in lengths of 200 metres. The studio began experimenting with ways of making objects, dresses and accessories from long pieces of this zipper.
The project developed into a bag in collaboration with Longchamp, the French family company which has been manufacturing luxury leather goods since 1948.
Zip Bag is an apparently plain leather handbag, which when unzipped, doubles in size and reveals a spiral of colour. It went into production in 2003 and was launched at London's Design Museum, becoming a bestseller for Longchamp.
Heatherwick Studio was later asked to design Longchamp's first contemporary flagship store, La Maison Unique in SoHo, New York.