What are people lining up for at Louis Vuitton?
No price increase announcement can deter Louis Vuitton fans from its stores. If anything, it has only fueled loyalty for the brand.
There’s still a line to get into the Philippine flagship in Greenbelt 3, many of them asking for the Irma Vep-inspired collection showcased at the Louvre. The wait ends today as it finally lands in stores.
What’s with this brand devotion? LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault couldn’t have said it better: “It’s not a fashion company,” singling out Louis Vuitton from the conglomerate’s 75 maisons as he announced its year-end results. “It’s a culturally creative company that reaches out to a very important customer base, the most important Gen Z through to a more mature customer base. Louis Vuitton is a company that is involved in many aspects of cultural life. That is the spirit of Louis Vuitton. It’s not just a fashion brand. It’s a cultural brand with a global audience.”
From Vuitton the trunk-maker himself to Nicolas Ghesquière today and, recently, the late Virgil Abloh, the brand has always been a conduit of two seemingly disparate things, melding them together and capturing the zeitgeist for fans of the brand to own and love. Abloh’s era bridged that gap between streetwear and high fashion widely emulated by fashion brands today.
In his latest collection, Ghesquière brings together the past and the present, reel and real life, and a heritage of craftsmanship with the latest technology — think corsetry in patent leather peep-toe booties, tailoring in the humble denim, lacework in leather.
Coming soon are a new print in cotton inspired by the leather textures of the Epi and colorful straps for the Bolt, a gender-fluid fine jewelry collection that reinterprets the LV logo into an electric pulse. Until then, here are the highlights now in stores.
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Louis Vuitton is at the new Greenbelt 3 and The Shoppes at Solaire.
Layout f-... she’s a star
Squid Games’ HoYeon Jung fronts the latest Louis Vuitton campaign premiering today wearing an embroidered crinoline with a tailcoat from the spring/summer collection that combines 19th century richness with futuristic boxy silhouettes and timeless sharp tailoring.
Masquerade-ready
Statement-making eyewear is back and bigger than before, like these handcrafted crystal-embellished glasses. Not up to Venetian mask-inspired eyewear? You can wear it as a bag in the Libellule and Peacock.
A new bag silhouette
Ghesquière drew inspiration from the famous Pochette Metis and created the new Swing, accentuated with an iconic S-lock exposure, pictured here in black python. This launch also coincides with the brand’s announcement to ramp up production in France this year with two specialized leather goods workshops, doubling down on exotic skins.
The new petite malle
Fans of the uniquely Louis Vuitton trunk-like clutch will like the elongated Petite Malle EW, a revisiting of the now-iconic Petite Malle in celebration of Louis Vuitton’s 200th year.
High contrast
The puffy Coussin and bucket bag Cannes now come in monogram patent leather Jerrycan inspired by the artist Nathalie Du Pasquier’s book. The Coussin will also come in a new mini size that fits your airpods and can be worn with its own strap around your waist.
Leather lace
Whether or not Ghesquière was inspired by his costume design collaboration with HBO’s Irma Vep, the vampiric combination of red and black makes its way to intricately hand-cut leather in the style of lace openwork fabric, as seen in the Cannes, Dauphine, Bucket PM and Petite Malle.
Craftsmanship focus
The ready-to-wear line influences the ladylike Capucines BB as the maison showcases its leather craftsmanship with its pleated malletage (pictured), a quilt detailing in supple lambskin, and in ’80s polka dots. The Capucines will also get fun colorways like a vibrant neon called slime and a zoomed-in take on the lucky flower monogram, injecting fun into the elegant top-handle bag. (Did you know that it actually takes 250 steps to create, done only by the maison’s most experienced artisans?)
Get strapped up
Stomp into the new season with the new hybrid boot that features an open toe with the LV buckle strap with lace-up corset details, going all the way to the upper sole.
