It has been seen on model Paloma Elsesser’s arms, as well as Petra Collins matching it to her ever-so-fashionable dress; we’re talking about none other than the Medea. The new Milan-based label may look like a nondescript shopper at first sight, but the Medea is set to be next season’s It big.
Medea, named after Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1969 film about the Greek mythological sorceress, is the creation of models and twin sisters, Giulia and Camilla Venturi. Speaking of their creation, Giulia recalls, “We always were into bags and would spend money on those instead of clothes, so we thought, why not make a very fine leather bag that is shaped like a shopping bag?” Camilla continues by explaining, “You have to get really close to the bag to realize it’s not plastic.”
Launching this month in the UK, the Prima, which is Italian for “first,” is crafted from matte calfskin leather in Verona, Italy. Meanwhile, the bags will come in four different sizes and eight stunning colors. “We are not very girly, so the product is simple and elegant and can be used for day or night. It doesn’t make you look like you have a fancy, feminine bag, but more like you have a cool bag,” explains Giulia.
While this is the first of the collection to launch, the twins have explained their plans to expand their collection with a collaborating artist every year, with the first launching in September. With the bag being a straightforward shape and a natural canvas for experimentation, “the artists can do whatever they want with the bag. It’ll be almost impossible to recognize the starting object,” states Guilia.
However, the models are staying quiet on exactly which artists they will be collaborating with, but can confirm that the limited-edition fashion products will cause quite the stir. “You are carrying something that won’t [necessarily] shock people but will make them think, Oh, wow. She’s carrying a strong bag.”