MCM celebrates the big five-oh by reimagining its cult silhouettes for a new generation of global, on‑the‑move alt luxe lovers
Luxury leather goods used to mean cumbersome trunks and outsized suitcases. Nowadays, though, with people living half their lives in transit, moving from hot desk to hotel and back again, a “status bag” means something different.
MCM new Liz shopper tote in medium. Photo: Handout
For its 50th anniversary collection, alt luxe label MCM has released Icons Reinvented – a reworking of some of its best known pieces. It’s not so much a museum retrospective as a year‑long remix. Signature silhouettes – the Stark backpack, Liz shopper, Ella Boston and Ottomar weekender – are rebuilt around what MCM calls “smart luxury”. That means bags that are seasonless, easy to move with, ageless in appeal, responsibly made and able to shape-shift with the way we live now. Constructions are lighter and interiors can reconfigure depending on whether you’re carrying a gym kit or a laptop.
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A page from MCM’s archive catalogues the luggage range that put the Munich house on the map in the 1970s. Photo: Handout
Longevity – and therefore sustainability – is built into the collection. The focus is on designing bags that can still look current in five or even 10 years, making them more “permanent wardrobe accessory” than single‑season flex. “For 50 years, MCM has been made to move,” says Sung-joo Kim, chief visionary officer of MCM. “We have always translated cultural momentum into meaningful design. That responsibility becomes even more important for the next generation.”
MCM Ella Boston in small. Photo: Handout
Dirk Schönberger, global brand officer of MCM, agrees. “By listening closely to our community and designing with intention,” he says, “MCM will continue to shape a definition of luxury grounded in utility, adaptability and creative freedom.”
MCM Stark backpack in medium. Photo: Handout
The latter is very much a byword of the house, which was born in 1970s Munich: a magnet for disco divas, jet‑setters and avant‑garde designers. In that heady milieu, MCM’s Bauhaus‑meets-nightclub attitude saw “form follows function” reimagined for frequent flyers. Since then, the brand has slipped in and out of different cultural frames: spotted in New York hip‑hop videos in the 80s and 90s, folded into K‑pop wardrobes in the 2000s, and now reappraised by a generation on the move.
Heritage brand ambassador and early team member Herbert Lieb with a vintage MCM piece. Photo: Handout
Anchored by the theme of “Mavericks”, who have always been part of MCM’s identity, celebrations will roll out globally, but everything culminates back in Munich during Oktoberfest – a neat full circle to the city where it all began. And while there’s a new 50th anniversary logo, the message is clear: five decades on, MCM is less interested in nostalgia than in testing how far a travel‑minded, culture‑literate idea of luxury can go.
