Max Mara celebrates a decade of the Whitney Bag

When Max Mara first unveiled the Whitney Bag in 2015, it was a declaration of intent. Conceived in collaboration with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop to celebrate the inauguration of Manhattan’s new Whitney Museum of American Art – and worn on the arms of icons like Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Monaghan, Liu Wen and Andie MacDowell – the Whitney Bag distilled architecture into accessory, merging Italian craftsmanship with the modernist spirit of the museum itself.

For the past decade, the Italian fashion house has supported the Whitney Museum’s permanent collection, including the landmark exhibition The Whitney’s Collection: Selections from 1900 to 1965, which ran from 2019 through to 2025. And this year’s Whitney Gala, made possible by Max Mara, is the continuation of a longstanding partnership grounded in shared values of cultural stewardship and design excellence.

“The Whitney Museum connected us with Max Mara to help coordinate the opening event for the new museum in New York’s Meatpacking District,” recalls Elisabetta Trezzani, partner at the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

“From these discussions, Max Mara came up with the idea of asking us to design a bag that would, in some way, embody the building. The fact that it was an Italian company championing Italian craftsmanship gave us the motivation to consider and ultimately accept this challenge.”

Looking ahead, the brand has reaffirmed its commitment by sponsoring both this year’s Gala and the Museum’s forthcoming permanent collection exhibition, set to open in summer 2025. This enduring alliance not only commemorates ten years of the Whitney Bag, but also honours the legacy of the museum’s downtown home—and the art, architecture, and vision that inspired it.

Now, a decade on, the Whitney Bag remains a symbol of structural beauty and versatility – an object of considered strength. And to mark its 10th anniversary, Max Mara is renewing its dialogue with the Whitney Museum, beginning with a striking takeover of the Milan flagship store during the 63rd Salone del Mobile. In an homage to its origins, a limited edition of 125 pieces will reissue the original aluminium-hued model, now paired with a vibrant red nappa lining and bearing the distinctive fire-stamped mark: ‘Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.’

The Whitney’s signature ribbed design, echoing the modular façade of the museum, has transcended time and trend. It has even been enshrined in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York – institutions that recognise its rightful place among icons of design. “It was the first time we’d been part of something like this, so we had no idea what kind of response it would generate,” Trezzani says. “For sure, we never imagined we’d be celebrating its tenth anniversary!”

In 2025, the bag’s evolution continues with thirteen new colours, from ocean blue to lichen green, and six varied sizes, including an elegant five-ribbed silhouette that speaks to its architectural DNA. “We’ve kept a close relationship with the Max Mara team, gathering every year to choose the colours for the various collections and to create new sizes that complement the more classic versions of the bag,” Trezzani explains. “All this while remaining faithful to the original design.”

Celebrations will stretch across Rome, Paris, London, Vienna, and beyond, culminating in the grand New York gala on 20 May 2025 – an event destined to capture the spirit of both the museum and the women who carry the Whitney.

For the anniversary, Max Mara invites a fresh gaze through surrealist window displays, where monumental proportions meet micro versions of the bag in a playful interplay of scale and imagination. It is a reminder that, like architecture, the Whitney Bag is not static; it is alive, responsive, and deeply personal. “I would definitely describe it as a ‘joyful and fun’ collaboration,” Trezzani reflects, “one that has allowed us to share, with both enthusiasm and precision, our mutual focus on the details, especially when it comes to choosing materials.”

Ten years since its inception, the Whitney Bag continues to declare its philosophy to the world: timelessness is not a matter of chance, but of design. “When I see a Whitney Bag being worn, I always smile and think of this wonderful shared experience,” Trezzani says. Now, as ever, it urges: make it yours.

You can shop the Whitney bag in stores and online at Max Mara’s website.