We love when CFDA Members become collaborators, and when it benefits the CFDA Foundation, even better! MZ Wallace’s Monica Zwirner and Lucy Wallace Eustice recently approached Cynthia Rowley and their creative fusion resulted in the must-have limited edition Metro Tote, a version of the popular MZ Wallace Tote in Rowley’s iconic floral prints.
“We are new members of the CFDA and when we received the news last summer that we were accepted, Lucy and I both felt we wanted to contribute in some way,” Zwirner said. “Raising money for the CFDA education program felt like a great way to positively impact the council. I have known Cynthia for a long time as we are summer neighbors in Montauk and since she has been a CFDA Member for many years we thought a collaboration with her would be great. Luckily, she agreed.”
The pretty-meets-sporty summer carryall is a natural extension of the Metro Tote. Which the designer duo first launched in 2009 centered on the idea that would be the ultimate every-day-go-anywhere chic tote for everyone. The style’s popularity has been on the up and up since. “People use it every day for the gym, travel, kids, shopping, you name it,” Wallace Eustice said. “College kids to mothers to models to CEOs to grandmas are all fans and we love that. It really sums up what MZ Wallace is all about – function meets style in accessories that work for all the experiences in your life.”
Rowley was the perfect fit. Zwirner described her as “endlessly creative” with “a wonderful eye for prints. “I am a huge fan of her printed wetsuits and since we wanted the bag to be a fun summer accessory that women would buy for the beach or as a weekend travel bag, collaborating with her seemed like a perfect match,” she noted. “Cynthia makes everything fun and easy.”
The bag benefits the CFDA Foundation for a reason. “We want to help emerging designers who are trying to break into this very tough industry, just like we did 17 years ago,” Wallace Eustice explained. “We have a program called MZW Gives Back and we use it to create limited edition bags that benefit a cause we believe in.”
This partnership marks the seventh MZW Gives Back collaboration, and the designers are open for more. “We are always open to collaborations, but they have to be authentic and have a true reason for being,” Wallace Eustice said.
The Cynthia Rowley x MZ Wallace Metro Tote just launched in a limited collection of 200 at all MZ Wallace and Cynthia Rowley stores, as well as at MZWallace.com and CynthiaRowley.com.
As for Rowley, she has known Zwirner from the art world and Montauk for years, and has her own summer plans for the Metro Tote. “All I need is a wetsuit, a board, sunscreen, water,” she said, “and a cute bag to toss it all into.”
