Proenza Schouler and Merit Teamed Up to Design the Chicest Makeup Bag

Classic and cool: that’s Proenza Schouler. And Merit Beauty, too. Honestly, it’s no wonder the fashion and beauty companies work so well together; they exude the same energy.

This week, the beloved brands announced the next evolution in their ongoing partnership: A new take on Merit’s signature makeup bag, designed with the same effortless chicness Proenza puts into all of their accessories. The reversible (black on one side and Merit’s signature blue on the other) makeup bag was designed in a luxe vegan leather and is filled with a special curation of Merit products used in Proenza Schouler’s New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer ‘24 show.

"When we first started working on MERIT, we always envisioned that it would have the kind of dialogue and interplay with fashion that we felt was missing from the broader beauty industry," Aila Morin, SVP of Brand, Growth, and Innovation at MERIT said in a press release. "That’s why this collaboration with Proenza Schouler—a brand that has been so foundational to American sportswear over the last two decades—felt so natural. We’ve been collaborating with their team for a couple of years on their runway looks, so we were thrilled to be able to bring our similar visions and brand identities to life through this project."

Proenza Schouler and Merit first partnered in February 2022, when the makeup brand’s Signature Lip lipsticks launched on the fashion brand’s Fall/Winter ‘22 ready-to-wear collection runway. While the new collaboration does not feature one of the lipsticks that started it all, it does contain plenty of our favorite goodies from the brand in a “Runway Set” ($125): Great Skin Serum (our favorite hydrating niacinamide serum), Brush No. 1, Clean Lash mascara (we named it the best for sensitive eyes in our “10 Best Tubing Mascaras of 2023” roundup), Shade Slick tinted lip oil in the shade “Bel Air,” and Flush Balm cream blush in “Fox.”

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Merit revealed that Proenza Schouler was all over their vision boards when preparing to launch their minimalist brand in 2021.

“Inspired by their shared sense of effortlessness and ease, we set out to partner with the brand on several of their runway beauty looks,” the company wrote via Instagram. “Now, after over a year of working together behind the scenes, we’ve partnered with the brand once again—this time to reimagine The Signature Bag into a limited edition accessory.”

Cool girls (and anyone with a passion for sustainability, minimalism, and great makeup, really): take note.

The Merit x Proenza Schouler “Runway Set” is currently available to pre-order on Moda Operandi and Proenza Schouler's sites. The bag will be available on MeritBeauty.com on October 10, 2023 as a free gift with purchases over $100.