Fendi Vending Machines?! Yes, They Do Exist

Vending machines remind me of high school, when my friends and I would decide whether to buy Pop Tarts or Linden Chocolate Chippers at the end of the lunch period (Linden forever, IMO). But Italian fashion house Fendi wants the public school snack purveyor to remind us of something else — luxury handbags. Vending machines at the Fendi SoHo pop-up shop in NYC dispense a selection of the label's purses, unfortunately not for the same price as a bag of Snyder's pretzels.

Fendi SoHo recently opened on the corner of Prince and Greene Streets. The location looks pretty snazzy according to photos, complete with a neon sign spelling out #FENDISOHO. If you're wondering why oh why must everything be hashtagged these days, it's obviously to appeal to the mysterious millennials. We actually don't understand anything that isn't preceded by a #NUMBERSIGN. But I digress... Back to the vending machines. According to TimeOut New York, these are also an unusual attempt at connecting with the millennial demographic.

Fendi hopes the reference to Cheetos and Doritos will entice more millennials to splurge on its goods—"it" bags like the Baguette and the Peekaboo dangle from shiny metal tongs inside the vending machines, while glitzy neon signs in the store read #FENDISOHO. Because millennials love a good hashtag, #amiright?

A hashtag has never once inspired me to make a purchase and I would maybe encourage the fashion industry to step away from the "#" outside the context of social media. When mishandled, hashtagging can be a bit awkward (as with a certain Vogue cover). The vending machines, however, are great. I won't be shopping at one of them, unless Fendi throws a "one Baguette for the price of Swedish Fish" sale, but they're totally cute and unique. Now, does anybody have a quarter I can borrow? I'm craving some of those Linden Chocolate Chippers right about now.

Images: fendi_official/Instagram