Prada is no stranger to working with highly acclaimed architects. The Milanese fashion house's longstanding partnership with the Rem Koolhaas-led architecture firm OMA, who have helped them with boutiques, branding studies, films, digital products, and other projects, has been one of the industry's strongest alliances. 

So, when looking for designers to reinterpret their most iconic item, the black nylon handbag, it is no surprise they turned to some of the field's biggest and brightest. In their latest interpretation of the material, Prada asked leading female architects Cini Boeri, Elizabeth Diller and Kazuyo Sejima to create unique pieces in the brand's signature nylon fabric, first debuted by Miuccia Prada in 1984. 

The collaboration is part of their Prada Invites project, which last year invited Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Herzog & de Meuron and Rem Koolhaas to respond to a similar prompt. While the four men sent a printed t-shirt, front pack, portfolio case and fisherman's apron down Prada's 2018 runway, this new chapter has been created by women, for women.  

Italian architect Cini Boeri, who was inspired by modular design, created a bag that can adjust to the user's needs. The appearance is similar to the original Prada bag but the customizable interiors give it an updated twist and allow it to be endlessly useful. 

Elizabeth Diller designed two pieces for the label: a garment bag that doubles as a raincoat and a shoulder bag that morphs into a clutch and can hold sketchpads, sandwiches and lipstick. Kazuyo Sejima, who cofounded the Pritzker Prize-winning practice SANAA, also designed two pieces. Both intended for travel, one doubly functions as a neck pillow.

Highlighting some of the most exciting female voices in twenty-first century design, the collaboration has brought us three radical takes on what a luxury bag can be. Just as the trio of architects have pushed boundaries in the field of architecture, their designs for Prada show off similarly refreshing alternatives.