The Met launches bag collaboration with Sprayground

The Metropolitan Museum of Art launched a collection with graphics-led bag brand Sprayground, according to a release sent to Fashion Dive.

The 17-piece collection includes backpacks, handbags, duffles and a tote bag “drawing inspiration from 5,000 years of art across the Met’s 19 diverse curatorial departments.” The line has limited inventory and “will never be produced again,” per the release.

Prices range from $80 to $400, and the line initially launched via the Met’s New York retail and e-commerce platforms, and select pieces remain in-store exclusives at the museum. Sprayground’s e-commerce platform began carrying items from the collaboration on Monday.

“The Met’s collaboration with Sprayground engages with the Museum’s collection across a range of cultures and time periods, calling attention to fan favorites and lesser-known works,” Josh Romm, global head of licensing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said in an email to Fashion Dive. “Infusing these selections with the Sprayground brand DNA results in a dynamic offering that sparks curiosity and conversation about art and design.”

Highlights from the collection include a silicone head of Medusa handbag, a tote featuring Vincent Van Gogh’s “Self Portrait with a Straw Hat” and a handbag in the shape of a hippopotamus from the museum’s Egyptian Art collection, nicknamed “William.”

A QR code embedded on each bag links consumers to information detailing its connection to the artwork that inspired its design.

“The Met seeks to collaborate with leading brands who have a passion for creativity, and Sprayground certainly delivers on that mission,” said Romm. “Over nearly three years, our teams worked together closely to bring this shared vision to life. Each design is the byproduct of thoughtful conversation and ideation.”

The collaboration came out of “a mutual respect for each other’s worlds — art and fashion,” said David BenDavid, founder CEO and creative director of Sprayground, in an email to Fashion Dive. He added that the pieces were designed to honor the past “while making it relevant to today’s fashion audience.” 

The result, he said, helps make art a part of everyday life.

“It works since it’s a perfect fusion of art and fashion, reinterpreting timeless art in a way that resonates with today’s generation empowering our fans to have a wearable piece of art,” BenDavid said.

Sprayground produces frequent limited edition collaborations, many of which are sold out on the brand’s e-commerce platform. The brand’s past projects have included entertainment and gaming-themed bag collaborations such as with video game “Minecraft,” the film “Dune” and cartoon characters “The Powerpuff Girls.” The company presented its first runway collection at New York Fashion Week in September and showed at Shanghai Fashion Week in April.

Meanwhile, the Met has previously collaborated with retailer Pacsun in a multiyear deal beginning in 2022. It released the fourth collection from that partnership last year.