It’s been a decade since Louis Vuitton last teamed up with one of the most pre-eminent artists and Instagram’s most beloved visual virtuoso. And this week the French Maison will pay another homage to the enigmatic Kusama and her infinite artistic lens with an assortment of over 400 items outfitted in her bold signature. Known for her exacting approach — each dot in her “infinity” paintings is painstakingly placed — Kusama is a prolific artist who has had a hand in the conceptual, feminist, minimalist, surrealist, pop and abstract art movements since her first appearance on the scene in the 1950s. The 2023 Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collection will feature the artist’s gutsy colors and dotted motif across ready-to-wear, accessories collection, and menswear line.
Still, it’s the host of Louis Vuitton bags that will largely benefit from Kusama’s emblematic treatment of painted, metal and infinity dots as well as psychedelic flowers. According to some product descriptions already available on the LV site, you can expect to see the Louis Vuitton Duffle, glittering in monochrome paint splatters and canvas, the Louis Vuitton square bag in full-color paint and monogram canvas and a tote bag in pure white leather with a rendering splash of Kusama’s flowers.
Word has it the artist herself presided over the technically challenging process that yielded a perfect amalgamation of art and fashion. Her artisanal method fused with Louis Vuitton’s proprietary techniques generated 3D paint spatters that appear “wet,” as if just been painted by Kusama’s hand.
The collaboration with Kusama underlines Louis Vuitton’s continuous commitment to the arts and its creators. This pieces from the second Kusama project will join a roster of such notable collectables as Van Gogh silk scarf by Jeff Koons; a branded skateboard by Stephen Sprouse, a travel trunk reworked by Cindy Sherman and a panda figure sculpture on a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk by Takashi Murakami.
Drop One, which launched on January 1st in China and Japan and followed by the rest of the world few days later will include pieces from Kusama’s Painted Dots, Metal Dots, Infinity Dots, and Psychedelic Flower collections. Drop Two will hit the stores at the end of March. Sadly, local rumor has it, items in this assortment are available only to those who were invited to pre-order. Others might have to wait for the resale market.
For more information contact the Maison Louis Vuitton directly at 305-931-3887. Louis Vuitton is located at the Lower Level near Nordstrom.
