Ten years on, Max Mara’s Whitney bag has become a celebrity staple, carried by the likes of Gigi Hadid and Sarah Jessica Parker. However, it is also something of a New York classic, as it was created in partnership with the architecture firm, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, to resemble the structure of the world-famous Manhattan museum, the Whitney.
In fact, the bag was designed to coincide with its move to its current location in the Meatpacking District a decade ago – and it’s certainly an upgrade on the typical canvas shopping bag that you typically buy in a museum gift shop. The Whitney mimics the steel panels which line the facade of the museum, with distinctive, sharp vertical lines across the body of the bag, giving it a real architectural quality. “It’s a unique piece to be honest. It’s a bag like no other on the market, and that makes us very proud, as well as the idea of representing [the Whitney’s] architectural design and blending that with the spirit of Max Mara’s brand aesthetic,” Maria Giulia Maramotti, Max Mara fashion group board member and third generation of the Maramotti family, tells Vogue.
To mark the significant anniversary for the museum, the Italian house has launched a special limited-edition version of the bag in the original aluminium shade that debuted in 2015. It has also launched 13 new colours across six sizes, including a new “five-ribbed” version – all stamped with “Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop”, a touch that will appeal to art and fashion collectors alike.
Last week, to continue the celebrations, the Whitney hosted a star-studded gala on the West Side, with the likes of Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Claire Danes, Andie Macdowell and Laura Harrier in attendance, with many-a Whitney bag also present.
Carla Rossi
“The fact that Max Mara, a company of Italian ‘savoir-faire’ was the one to ask us to create a bag to appeal to the museum, certainly prompted us to consider and accept this challenge,” says Elisabetta Trezzani, partner and director of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. “For 10 years we have been selecting new colours and sizes together with the brand, while remaining faithful to the original design.”
