MINI Introduces a Roadster Derived Handbag

Official Release: Against the backdrop of Milan Fashion Week, MINI launched a special limited edition of CARMINA CAMPUS bags at 10 Corso Como on 28 February. Under the style-assured guidance of Ilaria Venturini Fendi, colour samples, material offcuts and other leftovers from the production of the new MINI Roadster were turned into designer bags made by Italian craftsmen – in the true spirit of the CARMINA CAMPUS philosophy that employs only re-used or recycled materials in the creation of fashion accessories.

“In Ilaria Venturini Fendi we have found a designer who devotes her artistic powers above all to the promotion of upcycling. We are delighted to take up this joint project in customary MINI fashion,” says Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design.

First a MINI, then a bag.

The special edition is made up of travel and city bags for men and women, as well as a number of unisex models. It comprises 50 bags in total, all of which are unique thanks to their individual material make-up. The diverse range of materials used in producing the MINI Roadster prototypes provided the designer with a broad spectrum of possibilities: “The MINI Roadster inspired me with many materials, like the canvas from the convertible roofs rejected after tests or the small metal plates obtained from scraps of the car body,” comments Ilaria Venturini Fendi. The collection offers a broad range of variants appropriate for any occasion, from practical business bags and functional laptop cases to trendy totes for daytime use. One particular eye-catcher is the unusual Handle Clutch bag with a handle taken from the interior of the MINI Roadster. Rounding off the CARMINA CAMPUS for MINI portfolio is a smart travel bag featuring seatbelts and high-grade leather offcuts. The exclusive nature of the collection is further accentuated by the embroidered numbering from 1-50 inside each bag.

The CARMINA CAMPUS label.

“I’m very happy about this collaboration,” says Venturini Fendi. “It shows just how aware MINI is of the motor industry’s impact on the environment and that it is working towards change.”

The youngest daughter of Anna Fendi, and once herself Creative Accessories Director of the Fendissime young line as well as shoe designer for the legendary fashion house, Ilaria Venturini Fendi retired from the company some years ago to run an organic farm in Northern Rome. In 2006 she launched CARMINA CAMPUS, a label that specialises in making furniture, jewellery and bags from re-used and up-cycled materials – to the highest standards of design. Reclaiming unused materials, defective or no longer fit for their intended purpose, or searching for stocks of end-of-lines and vintage materials that may change their function in the design of a new object, has been Ilaria Venturini Fendi’s creative approach from CARMINA CAMPUS’ start.

The exclusive CARMINA CAMPUS for MINI collection ranges in price from 350 to 700 euros and is available from the 10 Corso Como store in Milan, via the Online-Shop of 10 Corso Como and via yoox.com.