Four years ago at this time the late designer Virgil Abloh made history by becoming the first black creative director of the emblematic French fashion house Louis Vuitton. His debut, still remembered today, as well as becoming part of fashion history, was a before and after for the entire fashion system in which he officially introduced a new style and, above all, his characteristic stamp.
Unfortunately, the illness he was suffering from played a dirty trick on him and prevented him from enjoying this exciting and crazy life we live.
This third week of June, which coincidentally coincided with Paris Fashion Week (PFW), was the fourth anniversary of the debut we mentioned at the beginning of this article. Any tribute that can be paid to the designer is not enough to thank him for everything he did for the maison.
As in every edition, Louis Vuitton, deployed all its artistic skills to create a show of height as we have become accustomed to lately, just had to see the invitation that some guests received.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was the setting chosen to host the luxury brand’s latest fashion show entitled “Rest in Heaven” and celebrities such as Justin Timberlake accompanied by his wife Jessica Biel, singers such as J.Balvin and Raw Alejandro and top model and great friend of the designer Naomi Campbell traveled there.
All of them did not want to miss the event and decided to attend the show to celebrate and honor once again his legacy and discover all the novelties for the next Spring/Summer 23, which by the way has something to do with the world of imagination, which for Vuitton means a visual manifestation of our hopes and ideas, it has the power to heal, regenerate and elevate us.
The collection itself was conceived and created by the Louis Vuitton Prêt-à-Porter Homme studio: a constantly evolving ecosystem of creative minds who shared long working days since 2018 with Virgil Abloh and expanded during his eight seasons of artistic direction. A living testament to their talent for bringing people together, they populate a creative playground with more than a century of creation.
At the timeless core of the Louis Vuitton studio is the belief that imagination – creation, craftsmanship, spectacle – can move and unite its audiences around the world. It is the heritage on which Virgil Abloh based his practice at the Maison and the philosophy that continues to drive Studio Prêt-à-Porter Homme.
Continuing as the imagination and establishing it as the backbone of the collection, in this imaginary world proposed by LV, several elements such as toys and French romanticism come into play.
The first of these two has been one of the most important, as it has been present both in the staging of the show and in the garments of the collection. According to the Vuitton team, the toys we receive at an early age become building blocks for dreams and aspirations. It is a transition from the naïve to the refined reflected in a collection that elevates the symbols of childhood through Maison’s savoir-faire. The premise cuts out a silhouette drawn from bulging lines, playing with shrunken and oversized dimensions based on the idea of an overgrown or outgrown wardrobe, with nods rooted in the 90s dress code of the skater community. Playground iconography adorns garments and accessories: origami paper airplanes, building block beading, playdough textures and tones, cartoon prints and sandbox tool embellishments. The pieces evoke a sub-construction sensibility inherent in playground toys and the process of growing.
As for French romanticism, it is one of the quintessential components of LV’s genetics and also one of those that fills the collection. Fields of flowers – the eternal image of harmony in diversity – adorn the garments through impressionist paintings transformed into tapestries and prints, while depictions of thistles appear in multiple fabrics, prints and embroideries. A symbol of resilience and healing used folklore to overcome difficult situations, the thorny flower motifs also refer to the decoration of Louis Vuitton’s ancestral home in Asnières, where this collection was created. The delicate floral paintings on the ceilings of the same residence echo the cornices that define the palatial interiors of Parisian architecture. A manifestation of our childhood dreams – fairy tales, majesty, whimsy – these moulures ornament tailoring and molded leather bags, and feature on delicate lace garments.
Footwear and accessories, an essential part of LV, also had their place and prominence, especially belts, sneakers and boots, and of course, bags.
