Strap: 17.91 in Depth: 3.54 in Handle: 4.72 in Width: 10.62 in Height: 7.67 in Notes from the Curator Born in 1947 when postwar material shortages forced Florentine artisans to seek alternatives to leather, the Gucci bamboo handle — cane imported from Japan, heated over an open flame until pliable enough to be bent into its now-familiar arc — became one of the first non-leather structural elements in luxury bag design. Gucci patented the flame-bending process in 1958, securing exclusive rights to the curved bamboo detail. In 2010, creative director Frida Giannini reintroduced the design as the New Bamboo, enlarged and fitted with detachable shoulder straps and tassels; each required 140 separate components and thirteen hours of Florentine workshop time to complete. This example in taupe grained leather carries the structured, round-edge silhouette and bamboo turn-lock closure characteristic of Giannini's revival, retaining the handmade handles shaped by the same open-flame technique still practiced in Florence. After bending, each piece is brushed with lacquer — derived from insect resin — then toasted to achieve its golden-brown gloss. Because the handles are formed entirely by hand, no two are ever identical.