Louis Vuitton Teases New Yayoi Kusama Collaboration - 2 minutes read
The fresh cooperation between Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese art maven, completes the cycle. The artist’s theme of addiction and seriality is conveyed through the use of polka dots, which are sprinkled across portions of the premium fashion house’s Cruise 2023 product line-up.
This is the Maison’s second collaboration with Kusama and a celebration of Louis Vuitton’s long-standing relationship with the artist. Marc Jacobs led the first creative endeavor in 2012. The artist’s trademark dots were used on iconic Louis Vuitton shapes including as the Keepall, Neverfull, Papillon, and Speedy. Pieces from the first collection are still fetching excessive amounts on various resale markets today.
In a news statement, Louis Vuitton notes, “Yayoi Kusama’s cooperation in 2012 grew via several realms of the Maison, from exhibits, products, and a series of extraordinary window displays, which featured a startingly life-like mannequin fashioned after the artist herself.”
Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition in Selfridges 2012.
More than simply a usual fashion-art partnership, the choice to bring artists on board demonstrates Louis Vuitton’s aim to remain a cultural force. Other artists with whom he has worked include Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, and Richard Prince. The Maison’s most recent hire of Jung Hoyeon, the South Korean actress who rose to prominence through the blockbuster Netflix series “Squid Game,” is just another example of the Maison tapping into the cultural zeitgeist and strengthening its place at the vanguard of the cultural revolution.
Image: Louis Vuitton
These partnerships might also be viewed as a means for premium fashion labels to reach a larger audience by using these artists’ fan bases. Furthermore, the outputs of these collaborative endeavors have an uncommon feeling of permanency. It also frequently transcends seasons and remains popular among fashion fans and collectors.
Image: Louis Vuitton
A preliminary preview of the collaboration, which included a few leather products, was revealed at the Salk Institute in San Diego during Artistic Director of Women’s Collections Nicolas Ghesquière’s Cruise 2023. The Twist bags were embellished with references to Kusama’s installation “Narcissus Garden,” which had many metallic orbs filling the area. The Dauphine and soft trunk bags featured the modern artist’s predilection for colorful dots.
According to Louis Vuitton, this is merely a teaser, and the full-fledged collection will be available in shops in January of next year.