In 1853 at 4 rue des Capucines, Paris, Louis Vuitton launched their luggage enterprise. By producing travel trunks with rounded angles made of a waterproof canvas, the young Louis contributed to promoting the expansion of travel. According to his memoir, it was his son Georges Vuitton who chose to create the monogram, now an emblem, with the initials of his father arranged alongside four leaves and four-petaled flowers. The LV monogram may have undergone a few modifications in its canon throughout the years, but within this symbol remains the essence of a brand that is over a century and a half old. Being the “testament leading to the success of the couture house, it was natural that we had to pay homage to it.” The words of Delphine Arnault, executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton, have no equal in illustrating the recognition that fashion owes to this label. Now six legendary artists were called on to affix their design onto these monogrammed canvases: Karl Lagerfeld, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman, Marc Newson, Christian Louboutin, and Rei Kawakubo, each reimagining it in their own way.
With a new series of bags, the project echoes a similar initiative undertaken in 1996 for Louis Vuitton’s centennial celebration. Then, it was Azzedine Alaïa, Helmut Lang, Isaac Mizrahi, and Vivienne Westwood. “When we talked with Nicolas Ghesquière about the extraordinary talents that we wanted to approach, we simply went towards those who are among the best in their domain,” explains Delphine Arnault. The biggest designers in the fashion world were thus given a blank slate to reinvent this ancestral piece. Louboutin accentuates it with the same red that adorns the soles of each pair of his shoes (Caddy classique), Rei Kawakubo pierces, or rather burns a Louis Vuitton carryall, revealing the bag’s hidden side in the meantime. Each creation is playful, distinguished by the unique signature of an extraordinary artist.
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