I've never claimed to understand high fashion. Or advertising. Or really much of anything. So you can imagine my confusion when I received a press release for the Prêt-à-Portable capsule collection, which appeared at Paris Fashion Week and includes a tracksuit, parka, jumper, and a "handcrafted, XXXXXXL bucket bag" that's "big enough to fit an entire gaming setup: PC tower, monitor, mouse, and even cables."
The bag is made from high-end Italian leather. It's also an advertisement for a web browser.
The collection is a collaboration between fashion designer Hed Mayner, who the press release helpfully informs me is "known for his oversized silhouettes," and Opera GX—Opera's spinoff "gaming browser," which apparently earned the designation by having a red and black skin by default.
Whether any fashion collab is a good way to boost awareness for a web browser is a question I'm not capable of answering, but I have to say: If I watched a person unveil a complete desktop PC gaming setup from their purse, my first instinct wouldn't be to wonder what web browser they're running. Mostly, I think I'd be wondering whether they're on good terms with their physical therapist.
But hey, I'm sitting here writing about it, so mission accomplished, I guess. If nothing else, model Tommy Cash, an Estonian rapper and visual artist, is making a noble effort at selling it.
If you ask the press release, the goal of the collaboration—aside from getting us to look at the silly big PC bag and wonder who's to blame for its making—was "creating a collection that shows the ridiculousness of transporting your gaming setup while looking effortlessly stylish." I'll give them the ridiculousness bit, but I don't know that anyone could look effortlessly anything if they're hauling an entire PC tower around.
The non-PC purse items in the collection, meanwhile, were designed with "loads of extra pockets to hold the rest of a gamer's go-to inventory items"—like in videogames, see—which Opera GX asserts makes it the ideal outfit "whether you're just sitting at your computer or sitting in a fancy place."
I'll admit I'm a little light on my fancy place sittingwear, but the Prêt-à-Portable collection might be outside my budget. While we were told that "the price is not set in stone at the moment," the PC Purse might range in price "up to €2,000."
Whatever price it ends up being, you can join the waitlist to purchase your own gigapurse at the Opera GX gear store.
