Miu Miu launches the fourth limited edition collection Miu Miu Upcycled: Denim and Patch bags. The campaign accompanying the launch also features a capsule collection to celebrate Chinese New Year, consisting of polo shirts, cardigans, cashmere briefs and the iconic Wander and Arcadie bags.

Born in 2020 with the idea of supporting the precious nature of vintage garments and encouraging the practice of circular design, Miu Miu Upcycled tells the stories of the clothes and the people who wore them in the past. The value of history, of what is timeless, tells narratives for the present and the future.

For 2024, Miu Miu Upcycled Denim focuses on jeans. Made before 2000 and sourced from denim specialists around the world, they are chosen specifically for their color, weight and fade qualities. More than any other material, denim is long-lasting and appreciated for its patina and for the physical and symbolic effects resulting from the wear and tear of time. The memory of the leader remains the cornerstone. The external seams are preserved before proceeding with deconstruction and re-fashioning, a process designed to reuse as much fabric as possible and therefore made by hand. The result is a reiteration of wardrobe archetypes – wide-legged jeans, jackets, tops and shorts – and accessories – baseball caps and headbands – a study in circularity, honoring the provenance of clothes while transforming them for life modern.

The floral embroideries also draw from the past. Inspired by research into 1950s haute couture, this type of decoration was seen for the first time on the Miu Miu catwalk for the Spring/Summer 2022 season in a gold version, and is now reinterpreted in black. Each flower is hand-sewn using silk chiffon petals, faceted beads and black crystals set in antique metal. The pieces are finished with a leather label printed with the Miu Miu Upcycled logo and an internal starched white canvas label with the same branding.

For the first time, the Miu Miu Upcycled project also includes bags. The Miu Miu Upcycled Patch bag collection is made with scraps of leather processing used for Miu Miu models: the existing one is reimagined to create an object imbued with heritage; respect for tradition enriches the here and now.

Actress Ever Anderson and model Huijia Chen breathe new life into the Miu Miu Upcycled 2024 collections in a series of images captured through the lens of Jet Swan. A study in personality – in casting and clothing – and an intimate exploration of the relationship between the garment and its wearer, stolen moments become permanent. Each of them is unique.

The Miu Miu Upcycled project began with a selection of 80 unique pieces made from precious vintage non-designer clothing, followed by a collaboration with Levi’s focused on iconic pieces from the 1980s and 1990s and leather jackets that paraded on Miu’s Parisian catwalk Miu for the Autumn/Winter 2022 season. All Miu Miu Upcycled collections are strictly limited. Miu Miu has partnered with the Aura Blockchain Consortium, a non-profit association that promotes transparency and customer-centric business practices across the entire lifecycle of luxury products by leveraging blockchain and other technologies. Every single product from the Miu Miu Upcycled 2024 Collection will be subjected to Aura Blockchain verification.

The Miu Miu Upcycled Denim and Patch bag collections are now available in selected Miu Miu stores worldwide and on miumiu.com.

Photographer: Jet Swan
Creative Director: Edward Quarmby
Stylist: Lotta Volkova
Cast: Ever Anderson, Huijia Chen