Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection was presented in the inner courtyard of the Palais Royal in Paris. After an oft-commented collaboration with Supreme last season, Kim Jones is once more going back to a theme near and dear to Louis Vuitton: travel. This time, next summer’s man is taking off for the Pacific Islands. With brilliant textures and oceanic shades, these clothes come directly from a nautical sports wardrobe, as Kim Jones reveals once more her capacity to extract a chic allure from sportswear.
Her inspiration is taken from a Judith Schalansky book called Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Not Visited and Never Will. By combining Louis Vuitton’s history that’s intrinsically linked to travel, the flora of the Pacific Islands, and the easy couture of Hong Kong, Kim Jones offers a vision for the Louis Vuitton man that makes him become a seasoned traveller. Neoprene leg warmers are accompanied by shirts, while the off-kilter elegance of cargo pants marvelously espouses the sophistication of a crocodile vest. “It’s kind of a subtropical and multicultural vibe. I wanted something very sporty, but I wanted casual tailoring and a fitted and elegant sportswear,” he specified beforehand.
Louis Vuitton’s seasoned traveller for next season is thus exploring islands accompanied by exquisite fabrics that were specially selected to ensure comfort and give the illusion of a voyage of fabrics around the body. Light jackets float on models on top of tropical printed shirts made of organza. “Each small detail possesses the DNA of travel; it makes for very light jackets … They [the clothes] need to work in the real world. We’re talking about authenticity here. Any man can enter into a Vuitton store and find something for his lifestyle,” explained Kim Jones. The Spring/Summer 2018 season seems to tie the Louis Vuitton man together with the founder’s primary passion: making travel accessible, workable, and enjoyable.
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