MCM and Harper Collective launch upcycled luggage

MCM has teamed up with Harper Collective, founded by actor, musician and activist Jaden Smith and entrepreneur Sebastian Manes, to launch a luggage set with enhanced sustainability.

The upcycled sea-plastic collection, which debuted at Milan Fashion Week in February, is inspired by Harper Collective's Ghost collection, named after the abandoned fishing nets used in its materials. 

MCM x Harper Collective luggage

Harper Collective’s hard-shell rolling travel cases are crafted from a blend of 70% recycled ocean plastic, such as fishing nets, and post-consumer plastic, and are produced at an Italian workshop near Milan.

MCM has integrated its own upcycled components into the collection, while Harper Collective has introduced new elements, resulting in lightweight and distinctive luggage pieces. The collection comprises three silhouettes: Cabin, Cabin Expandable (a new development), and a large check-in case.

Notably, the luggage range features MCM’s iconic Cognac Visetos wrapping lightweight aluminium handles and interiors lined with MCM’s signature recycled quilted nylon. Upcycled MCM webbing straps from three different decades complete the interior, and luggage tags are crafted from upcycled Maxi Visetos material.

Each piece is unique due to the upcycled nature of the source material, reflecting Harper Collective's vision of embracing the beauty of imperfection. For both cabin bag models, every item contains 480g of sea plastic and 640g of landfill plastic, while for the 4mm shell of the larger checked bag, that rises to 790g of sea plastic and 1.5kg of landfill plastic.

MCM Chairperson Sung-Joo Kim said: “The MCM brand was founded during a time of innovation, exploration and discovery across culture, travel and technology in Munich, in 1976. This inspired our Smart Luxury philosophy where sustainability is our ultimate goal. As a leading luxury fashion house, it is our responsibility to do things better for our planet and society.”

Every piece includes a blockchain-linked NFC chip provided by Temera, a Beontag company, enabling customers to verify the authenticity and sustainability of their purchases. This Digital Product Passport, facilitated by the Aura Blockchain Consortium’s platform, aims to ensure transparency and trust in the luxury industry.

MCM Digital Product Passport

The collection launches with a CGI (computer-generated imagery) campaign, conceived by Jaden Smith and featuring artwork by Japanese graffiti artist Inagaki.

It is available at MCM flagship stores, the Harper Collective website, and the Harper Collective shop at Selfridges London.