Supreme x Heller Max Mug (Massimo Vignelli)
Supreme vs. Original
Supreme version
About the original
The Heller Max Mug is a 16 oz stackable drinking mug designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli in 1964 as part of the Max 1 tabletop system, which won Italy's Compasso d'Oro award and entered the permanent collections of the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Originally produced by Milan's Articoli Plastici Elettrici, the molds were rescued by New York manufacturer Alan Heller after the Italian firm closed, and Heller has manufactured the mug in shatterproof, dishwasher-safe polystyrene in continuous production ever since. Supreme's SS20 version was sold as a four-mug set printed with box logo graphics in Hellerware rainbow colorways and retailed at $28 against $10 for a standard single mug.
About Heller
Heller is an American furniture and housewares company founded in 1971 by Alan Heller in New York. The first product was a stacking melamine dinnerware set designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, originally released in Italy in 1964 and awarded the Compasso d'Oro that year before its Italian manufacturer went bankrupt. Alan Heller flew to Italy, bought the original molds, and put the line back into production. Six months after relaunch, Hellerware entered the Museum of Modern Art permanent design collection. The company later commissioned work from Frank Gehry, Mario Bellini, and other architects, and is now headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. Supreme collaborated with Heller on a Vignelli-designed plate set.
