In occasion of the inauguration of the new Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District in New York next Spring, Max Mara, sponsor of the opening party of the museum, announces an extraordinary collaboration with Renzo Piano, the architect of the new Whitney Museum, in the creation of the “Whitney Bag”. Jointly designed by Max Mara and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop the “Whitney Bag” is an homage to the Italian creativity.

“Aesthetics” and “technique” are the concepts behind this bag, boasting pure design and sophisticated materials directly inspired by the museum, considered one of the most outstanding new architectural features of New York with its cantilevered entrance, glass and metal surfaces, steel finishing elements and an impressive structure that envelops the building like a ribbon. 

Crafted in soft, quality leather, the hallmark of the “Whitney Bag” – as indeed the architectural structure of the building – is its elegant surface, featuring distinctive ribbing that gradually becomes fine lines, directly recalling the steel tie-beamed exterior of the new Whitney Museum. These graphic lines are created using traditional leather craft with innovative industrial techniques. Brass plates are used as a mould for strips of leather that are then top-stitched to create the pattern on the bag. 

In describing the “Whitney Bag”, all metal detailing is based on the observation of the structural metal components of the architectural project by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. The façade of the building is used as inspiration for the buckles, the inside pocket and the unmistakable snap hook – a signature feature of the bag. All created with a special galvanic coating that directly echoes the materials used to create the museum.  

The lining is an unexpectedly contrasting red color, a distinctive element of the bag and a snapshot of the sophisticated striking use of primary colors that characterize the details of many projects by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop. 

The “Whitney Bag” will be available in three sizes and colors - black, bordeaux and tan. There will also be an exclusive collectors’ limited, numbered edition: 250 bags – with a logo stamp branded on the inside – in a light blue-grey color reminiscent of the metallic shade of the museum’s facade. 

Just as the Whitney Museum blends seamlessly into the natural, urban and social landscape of the Meatpacking District, the “Whitney Bag” is more than just a designer’s whim, aiming to become an elegant yet practical, versatile model that slots easily into the feminine wardrobe.

All the proceeds for the development and realization of the drawing received by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop will be donated to the Renzo Piano Foundation in order to fund its educational activities.

'As architects you have to create a place where the emotions become more intense' 
Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Gigi Hadid carrying Whitney Bag
This is to acknowledge and credit the Max Mara Whitney Bag by Renzo Piano Building Workshop worn by Gigi Hadid while leaving Taylor Swift’s apartment in
Tribeca, New York on May 28th, 2015.

The Whitney Bag
Jointly designed by Max Mara and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop the “Whitney Bag” is an homage to the Italian creativity. Just as the Whitney Museum of American Art blends seamlessly into the natural, urban and social landscape of the Meatpacking District in New York, the “Whitney Bag” is more than just a designer’s whim, aiming to become an elegant yet practical, versatile model that slots easily into the feminine wardrobe.

Bag details: 45163557 WHIT1XS FW15 collection

Picture Rights Details
TIME DURATION: 6 months
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CREDIT: Getty Images