Here’s the Awesome Story Behind That Chanel Bagel Bag

Earlier this week, we wrote about the funny Chanel Bagel Bag that actress India Muenez wore to a Chanel No. 5 dinner in New York City. The Bagel Bag was probably our favorite Chanel item worn at that very chic and star-studded dinner; we assumed it was probably an unseen accessory from the infamous “Grocery Store” show Karl Lagerfeld presented at Paris Fashion Week for fall 2014—and we felt sad that we hadn’t noticed the cheeky yet realistic-looking breakfast purse before.

Well, turns out that little carb-loaded cutie was not part of the fall 2014 collection after all. In fact, it’s not part of any Chanel collection—it’s not even Chanel.

The bag was made by Canadian artist Chloe Wise as part of an ongoing sculpture series. Wise specializes in tongue-in-cheek sculptures, photos, videos, drawings paintings, and the Chanel Bagel Bag—which is actually titled “Bagel No. 5″—is just one of several designer bread bags Wise has made.

Naturally, we had to know more, so we caught up with Wise to find out exactly how the now-infamous bagel ended up at a real-live Karl Lagerfeld-attended Chanel event.

Glamour: How did India Muenez end up with the bag at the dinner?

Chloe Wise:India modeled the bag for me in a fake advertisement that accompanied the sculpture when it was shown in a gallery. When India told me she was going to the Chanel dinner and asked if she could borrow the bag, I thought it would be a hilarious way to contextualize the art within the fashion audience, and I said yes immediately.G: What was Chanel’s reaction to the bag?

CW: I’m still waiting for their comment! People seem to like this piece but are also confused. Confusion is great. All of my work in this series is a combination of sculpture and comedy. These are art pieces, but when placed in a fashion context they transcend their original intention as wall pieces. As a dysfunctional art object, it’s interesting to see reviews where people are raving that “the bagel is going to be the hottest new trend this spring”—I’m just LOL-ing.

G: What’s your inspiration?

CW: *I’ve been making bread bag sculptures for over a year. The first one was the Louis Vuitton Baguette, which needs no explanation. The title of that bag is what led to the pun-based sculpture. The bread is actually plastic-urethane; I make the sculptures and paint with oil paint. (Sesame seeds optional!) I’ve made many of these bags based on puns—Aint No Challah Back(pack) Girl—a Prada challah backpack— for example. Stay tuned for a book of all the fake ads. *

So there you have it. One of the most talked-about Chanel pieces of the season isn’t even Chanel at all. Sorry, Karl. Love you, love your work, but maybe you should consider commissioning Wise for your next project? She seems like you’re kind of girl.

For more information—and to see more of Wise’s hilarious work (ahem, Normcore Tampon!)—visit her website and Tumblr.