There are very few bags that can truly be called iconic. There’s the Hermès Birkin, the Chanel 2.55 and of course, the Lady Dior. Designed in 1995, this luxurious piece of luggage embodies its namesake, Lady Diana and it represents everything the Princess’s personal style was about. With its signature feminine elegance and distinctive cannage stitching, the Lady Dior is as much an artists canvas as handbag. And the Parisian House has now commissioned seven American and British artists to reimagine it.

It all started this past June when Marc Quinn replicated his hyper-realistic eye paintings onto the bag in celebration of the opening of the new House of Dior in London. After the immense success of the limited-edition design, Dior asked six more British and American artists to reimagine the cannage and charms in their own way. Chris Martin, Daniel Gordon, Mat Collishaw, Jason Martin, Matthew Porter and Ian Davenport guarded the shape and traditional elements of the bag while creating their own little wearable artwork.

In front of an audience of just 42 most exclusive guests at the Dior VIP salon on Bond Street, the French fashion house is hosting two Dior Art Lady talks to celebrate this collaboration. On Monday evening, the artists Davenport and Collishaw will be in conversation with Tony Chambers, the editor of Wallpaper magazine, while the Thursday talk sees our very own Caroline Issa chatting to Jason Martin about the process of creating the bags, from conception to finished product. If you’re not one of those 42 lucky ones, keep an eye out for these masterpieces on Instagram and Twitter.

Shop the limited-edition Dior Art Lady collection at the brand's flagships in London, Paris, Miami, Los Angeles, Dubai, Beijing and Seoul. Find out more information about the collection at dior.com.

Text by Dino Bonacic