View all newsletters
Latest in Luxury - Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Louis Vuitton Joins Forces with Yayoi Kusama for New Collection

It’s the second time the French fashion house has partnered with the iconic artist.

By Irenie Forshaw

Louis Vuitton has unveiled its biggest collaboration to date with Yayoi Kusama, presenting a colorful collection of clothing, bags and accessories at pop-up stores in New York’s Meatpacking District and Harajuku in Tokyo.

It’s the second time the French fashion house has partnered with the Japanese contemporary artist; the first collaboration, over a decade ago, was overseen by then artistic director of Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs.

Titled the Dots Infinity Collection, the 2012 partnership ran alongside Kusama’s retrospective art show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan and featured a range of garments and accessories adorned with the artists’ signature polka-dot motif.

[See also: Louis Vuitton Launches LV Diamonds Collection]

model wearing Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama collaboration pieces
Kusama’s signature palettes of black and white and red and white are used to render her dots on an array of garments / ©Louis Vuitton

Now, Louis Vuitton has once again joined forces with Kusama to craft an even bigger collection that spans everything from sunglasses and trainers to silk scarves and fragrances. Running alongside the launch of the collection is an international campaign starring supermodels like Bella Hadid and Gisele Bundchen.

For the first drop, which launched on 6 January, a cutting-edge serigraphy technique was used to reproduce Kusama’s brushstrokes and emboss Louis Vuitton’s leather goods with brightly colored 3D dots that are so realistic they appear hand-painted.

The first drop also includes Kusama’s most recognizable ‘infinity dots’, something the avant-garde artist described as a “desire to predict and measure the infinity of the unbounded universe, from my own position within it, with dots,” in her autobiography, Infinity Net.

Here, Kusama’s signature palettes of black and white, red and white, yellow and black, and black and red are used to render her dots on an array of garments and accessories including Louis Vuitton sneakers, baseball caps and the Maison’s mascot Vivienne doll.

Louis Vuitton Yayoi Kusama pop-up store
A cutting-edge serigraphy technique was used to reproduce Kusama’s brushstrokes and emboss Louis Vuitton’s leather goods with brightly colored dots / ©Louis Vuitton

Another staple motif seen in Kusama’s work is her obsession with flowers. As part of the first drop, her distinctive 1993 Flower painting has been used to inspire the intricate floral design rendered across a range of leather bags, wool suits and cotton shirts. The second drop, of which details are sparse for the time being, will be revealed on 31 March 2023.

Content from our partners
W New York - Times Square: "We Do Things Differently"
The Finest Destinations to Fly Private with Qatar Executive
A Weekend Travel Guide to Austin, Texas

It’s not the first time the French fashion house has teamed up with a world-renowned artist. During its history Louis Vuitton has invited heavyweights from across the world of art and design to collaborate including Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince and Sol LeWitt.

Last year, the iconic brand celebrated its founder’s bicentennial birthday with its 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries exhibition in Beverly Hills, showcasing 200 unique trunks designed by an array of artists, actors, athletes and activists.

louisvuitton.com

[See also: David Hockney to Open Immersive Exhibition in London]

Select and enter your email address Be the first to know about the latest in luxury lifestyle. Get the latest news on hotel openings and in-depth travel guides. Get insider access to exclusive promotions and special offers from our luxury partners.
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thank you for subscribing to Elite Traveler.

Websites in our network