VUITTON PARIS 2022

To close the Paris fashion shows, Vuitton decorated the Louvre’s Passage Richelieu with a sea of vintage chandeliers and told a story few have ever heard. The passage was used by Louis Vuitton himself to “reach the apartments of Empress Eugenie”  the wife of Napoleon III  “for whom he was the trunk maker.” Thanks to Nicolas for this kind invitation.

VUITTON 200 YEARS AGO

Two hundred years after his birth, the Vuitton company is marking the milestone in ways its founder never could have imagined, including a video game with embedded NFTs, a documentary on Apple TV, window installations, artworks, and social media activations galore.

Media is evolving so quickly that every time there’s a new way of communicating, you have to tell your story all over again, said Michael Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of Vuitton. Generations are now defined by technology, not by age.

Vuitton Louis setting off from the tiny town of Anchay in eastern France at age 13. And yet the life story of Vuitton, who eventually reached Paris and apprenticed at renowned trunk maker and packer Romain Maréchal, contains many universal business truths, including the necessity of taking risks, of staying close to the customer, and of passing the baton to the next generation at the right time. Continue reading

VUITTON IGNITE THE LUXURY STREETWEAR

The French luxury brand unveiled the sneakers as part of Virgil Abloh’s spring 2022 men’s collection and Nike Partners With Louis Vuitton on New Air Force 1 Sneakers.

In an homage to hip-hop culture, Virgil Abloh has brought together his two biggest brand partners to create what is sure to be one of this year’s hottest sneaker collaborations.

The shoes, designed in 21 colorways, were unveiled on Thursday as part of Abloh’s spring 2022 men’s collection, a sked whether they would be made available for sale, Vuitton responded: “Stay tuned for more details.”

The shoes feature a small neon green serrated tag on the side, and a label with the Louis Vuitton name and the Nike swoosh on the tongue. Continue reading

VUITTON DANS QUEL MONDE ?

Nicolas Ghesquière will unveil Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2022 collection with a livestream scheduled for June 15 at 2 p.m.

Perhaps far from the most famous Parisian monuments, the Expiatory Chapel allows us to explore one of the darkest facets of Paris: the French Revolution and the Terror. Built on the very spot where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were buried, it is one of the most secret monuments of the capital. Hotel Cheval should be a good idea.

The French luxury brand is keeping the location and other details under wraps, although it is understood the collection has already been paraded and filmed somewhere in the vicinity of Paris. The content will be viewable on Louisvuitton.com and its main social media. Continue reading

VUITTON SHOW ON ROOF TOP SAMARITAINE

It only took 15 years for Nicolas Ghesquière’s next runway venue to finally be ready: Louis Vuitton will cap off Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 6 with a fashion show at La Samaritaine.

Ghesquière will parade his spring 2021 women’s collection on the top floor of the not-yet-completed complex under a glass dome known as La Rotonde; while those tuning in to the livestream will have a completely different experience thanks to green-screen technology and other digital razzmatazz.

Nicolas’ goal is to create a connection with the guests, according to Vuitton. It is a fashion show that has been designed for digital, but based on a live experience.  Continue reading

ORANGE IS THE NEW VUITTON

The second drop of Louis Vuitton LV2 collection, the collaboration between men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh and Bape and Human Made founder Nigo, has arrived with a temporary residency in New York City, 116 Greene Street : SoHo NY New York.

The SoHo storefront has been transformed as well with a bright yellow facade with drip effect, as well as large sculptures of the LV Made duck, which is the symbol of the collection, turtle rugs inspired by Nigo’s Human Made rugs, customized drum sets at the entrance, oversized mannequins and custom Marshall and Louis Vuitton speakers with LV x Nigo logos all in bright yellow.

LV2, which is Abloh’s first collaboration for Louis Vuitton, was revealed in December 2019 and launched in June. The second drop that launched today is also available on the Louis Vuitton web site. Continue reading

NOT JOHNNY CASH BUT COCA

A Coco in Vuitton. Return to Vuitton for Coca, who started his career as a leather goods designer at Vuitton from 1996 to 2000. Adding more design muscle to a linchpin category, Louis Vuitton has snared acclaimed leather goods designer Johnny Coca.

Johnny Coca acclaimed leather goods designer, who recently exited as Mulberry’s creative director after a successful five-year stint, is also known for his work under Phoebe Philo at Celine.

Born in Seville to Spanish parents, Coca later moved to Paris, where he studied art, architecture and design at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Malaquais and École Boulle in Paris, respectively.

The hire further reinforces the upscaling drive spearheaded by Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Michael Burke and adds to a steady addition of top creative.

It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections. Continue reading

VUITTON J’ADORO VENICE

With floodwaters reaching their highest level in 50 years, the Italian government has declared a state of emergency in the city, where the iconic Piazza San Marco has been closed to the public and its Basilica seriously damaged.

On Thursday, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the government will set up emergency measures, including the allocation of 20 million euros for the most urgent repairs.

Since Tuesday, dramatic images have been circulating on global media showing how water has seriously damaged not only boutiques  including the Celine store, which was submerged but also iconic destinations such as The Gritti Palace hotel.

Reached by phone on Friday, Edoardo Caovilla, creative director and chief executive officer of Venetian footwear label René Caovilla, described the situation in the city as dramatic.

“Being from Venice, we are particularly in pain for what is happening,” he said. “Venice must be considered a museum like the Uffizi in Florence and needs to be managed that way.” Continue reading

VUITTON LONDON NEW STORE

It’s like a gallery in here, the swanky top floor of Louis Vuitton’s refurbished, brightly lit New Bond Street store in London, which is wall-to-wall with color-drenched works by artists including Jim Lambie, Tracey Emin.

“It’s like a nightclub in here,” said Delevingne, who attended with her husband James Cook and who recalled the first party, too. “I used to collaborate with Louis Vuitton when I was a wee little thing,” said the model and actress. Continue reading

PARIS TEXAS AND VUITTON

Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director of Louis Vuitton, branded Donald Trump a “joke,” just days after the U.S. president visited the fashion company’s new leather workshop in Texas.

French fashion designer Ghesquiere, creative director for Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections, posted an image of Evelyn Thomas’ 1984 hit “High Energy” on Instagram alongside the caption: “Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association #trumpisajoke #homophobia.”

It comes after Trump visited the company’s new leather workshop in Johnson County, Texas, on Thursday. The site is part of LVMH’s commitment to create 1,000 jobs in the region as part Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers initiative, the Business of Fashion reported.

Louis Vuitton and its parent company LVMH have not responded to Ghesquiere’s comment. LVMH’s billionaire owner Bernard Arnault stopped short of calling Trump a friend at the factory opening but acknowledged that the two had known each other since the 1980s, Continue reading

VUITTON TRACE AND TRACK

Louis Vuitton on Friday unveiled the first global blockchain designed to help consumers trace the provenance and authenticity of luxury goods, a platform named Aura it has developed in partnership with Microsoft and New York-based blockchain software technology company ConsenSys.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said the technology was still in the very early stages, but touted it as a key tool in the fight against fakes.

Executives at the luxury conglomerate, including chief digital officer Ian Rogers, declined to elaborate on the platform, which will be open to all luxury brands without intermediation, with data remaining confidential. Continue reading

CALIFORNIA CLEANING BY VUITTON

Louis Vuitton’s trio of new fragrances has a Los Angeles connection in more ways than one. Nearly three years after dipping back into the world of scent, the luxury label is collaborating with L.A.-based artist Alex Israel, who designed the fragrances’ outer packaging. The boxes come in saturated yellow, green and blue, with renderings of a sun, cactus and wave, respectively.

Israel’s work also adorns two monogram Vuitton travel cases created to hold the perfumes, plus a shopping bag  each available in limited editions. Continue reading

VUITTON CONTROVERSED BY NICOLA

On Tuesday evening, guests arrived at the venue to discover a reproduction of another Paris art institution, the Centre Pompidou, built by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, in a groundbreaking style that caused an uproar when it opened in 1977.

Since Nicolas Ghesquière presented his first collection for Louis Vuitton inside the Louvre’s Cour Carrée in 2014, he has often used the historic museum as a backdrop for spectacular sets with a futuristic bent.

Why the world’s largest luxury brand would build a faithful copy of a structure that is only a mile away in real life was something of a mystery one that Ghesquière cleared after the show: The collection was inspired by his people-watching at Café Beaubourg, which overlooks the vast square in front of the Pompidou.

Indeed, the variety in the collection felt overwhelming at times, as the eye jumped from Ghesquière’s familiar jutting shoulders and ballooning sleeves, to Eighties-style power suits, to a Cyndi Lauper-esque bustier dress dotted with silver stars and polka dots. Continue reading

VUITTON A BILLION EURO BABY

LVMH reported fourth-quarter sales of 13.7 billion euros, painting a picture of resilience and offering a measure of reassurance to investors fretting about Chinese luxury consumption as economic uncertainty looms. Profit from recurring operations for the full year hit a new milestone, jumping 21 percent to top the 10 billion euro mark and meeting analyst forecasts. Continue reading

VUITTON SMOKES MARIJUANA IN PARIS

It is bingo for Bernard Arnault. He has bet on a new afro-american designer, Virgil Abloh. Yesterday he attended with his two sons at the front row. During the show there was a smell of marijuana. He was a choc between two worlds, as if a family of Boston was meeting an afro-american of Harlem. The mix gave a stunning collection. Continue reading

VUITTON TRANSGENDER SHOW

Nicolas Ghesquière showcased his designs on stars ranging from Jennifer Connelly and Chloë Grace Moretz to transgender actress Indya Moore. Louis Vuitton has tapped an all-star cast for its pre-fall look book, cementing a growing trend for pre-collections  traditionally viewed as commercial filler between runway shows  to act as major communications platforms for luxury brands. Continue reading