The Business Of Fashion logo
The Business Of Fashion logo
  • Latest
  • Professional
  • Professional
  • Beauty
  • Careers
  • Education
  • Live Events
  • Community
  • Fashion Week
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Luxury
Share
Comment
By Lisa Wang September 10, 2014 05:50

BoF Exclusive

Exclusive First Look: Six Design 'Iconoclasts' Interpret Louis Vuitton's Monogram

Share
Comment
By Lisa Wang September 10, 2014 05:50

Today, BoF brings you an exclusive first look at Louis Vuitton’s 'Celebrating Monogram’ collaboration with six art and design legends: Karl Lagerfeld, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman, Marc Newson, Christian Louboutin and Rei Kawakubo, each of whom have re-imagined the fashion powerhouse’s iconic monogram.

Karl Lagerfeld and Frank Gehry for Louis Vuitton | Photo: Karl Lagerfeld for Harper's Bazaar

Christian Louboutin and Rei Kawakubo for Louis Vuitton | Photo: Karl Lagerfeld for Harper's Bazaar

Share
Comment
By Lisa Wang September 10, 2014 05:50

PARIS, France — In 1854, at number 4 Rue des Capucines near the Place Vendôme in Paris, Louis Vuitton launched his luggage business, advancing the travel trunks of the time — which were, then, made with rounded tops to allow water runoff — by creating stackable trunks in treated waterproof canvas. In his memory, his son Georges Vuitton created and patented the now-iconic ‘LV’ monogram, featuring his father’s initials, decorated with quatrefoils and four-petal flowers. Since then, Louis Vuitton the company has gone through several transformations under the ownership of luxury conglomerate LVMH. But the LV monogram has endured over the years as the symbol of what is now one of the world’s most widely recognised brands.

To mark the 160th anniversary of the house’s founding, Louis Vuitton's executive vice president Delphine Arnault, daughter of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, and artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière initiated a project, dubbed ‘Celebrating Monogram,’ inviting six of the world’s design pioneers (the ‘iconoclasts’) to interpret the LV monogram (the ‘icon’) for a new series of bags.

Louis Vuitton Monogram

Louis Vuitton Monogram

“The Monogram is the timeless icon of the Maison Louis Vuitton. It has lived through the brand’s countless evolutions, never losing its essence. The leading testament to the fashion house’s success, it was only natural that we should pay homage to it,” said Delphine Arnault.

The six selected designers include Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of Chanel and Fendi; architect Frank Gehry, whose Fondation Louis Vuitton centre opens next month in the suburbs of Paris; performance artist Cindy Sherman; industrial and product designer (and new Apple hire) Marc Newson; shoe designer Christian Louboutin; and fashion’s original contrarian, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. For Harper’s Bazaar’s upcoming October issue, Karl Lagerfeld shot each of the iconoclasts and their finished products, creating images which BoF can exclusively reveal today.

The project echoes a similar initiative undertaken in 1996 for Louis Vuitton’s centenarian celebration. Back then, fashion designers Azzedine Alaïa, Manolo Blahnik, Romeo Gigli, Helmut Lang, Isaac Mizrahi, Sybilla and Vivienne Westwood all contributed special designs. This time around, Delphine Arnault and Ghesquière broadened the scope of the initiative to include collaborators from art, architecture, and industrial design, as well as fashion. “When we talked with Nicolas Ghesquière about the extraordinary talents we would like to approach we simply went to those who are among the best in their fields,” said Delphine Arnault. “They are extraordinary artists; I could even say they are the greatest designers in the world.”

From Louboutin’s ‘Classic Caddy,’ accented with the same scarlet that adorns the soles of each pair of his shoes, to Rei Kawakubo’s ‘Bag With Holes,’ a burned out tote that reveals the bag’s inner lining, each creation is playfully distinguished by the unique signature of its creator.

Most read articles
7 April 2021

Take a Look Inside The Post-Pandemic Store

6 April 2021

Anya Hindmarch to Open Five-Store ‘Village’ in London as Part of New Retail Strategy

8 April 2021

Sustainability Comes At a Cost. Fashion Isn’t Paying.

7 April 2021

The Right Way to Do Plus-Size

TRENDING ON BoF
1

Take a Look Inside The Post-Pandemic Store

2

Anya Hindmarch to Open Five-Store ‘Village’ in London as Part of New Retail Strategy

3

Sustainability Comes At a Cost. Fashion Isn’t Paying.

4

How Russia’s Richest Woman Made Her Fortune in Fashion

5

What Makes Kim Run

6

How High Can Fashion Prices Go?

7

Video Tutorials and Virtual Design: Fashion Education’s Hybrid Future

8

Why Do Conglomerates Close Beauty Brands?

9

Xinjiang Cotton Continues To Cause Trouble For Brands

10

Allbirds Takes Steps Toward IPO

1

How Russia’s Richest Woman Made Her Fortune in Fashion

2

Argentina Apparel Sales Point to Partial Recovery

3

Sustainability Comes At a Cost. Fashion Isn’t Paying.

4

Report: Giorgio Armani Could Consider Joint Venture Partner

5

The Global Fashion Agenda Appoints CEO

6

Sneaker Marketplace StockX Valued At $3.8B After Latest Funding Round

7

Estée Lauder Closes Rodin Olio Lusso Brand

8

Amazon Illegally Fired Employees Critical of Work Conditions, Labor Board Finds

9

Luxury Sales on Tmall Rise 159% in Q1

10

Levi’s Shares Rise as Strong Demand Prompts Forecast Boost

1

How Russia’s Richest Woman Made Her Fortune in Fashion

2

Sustainability Comes At a Cost. Fashion Isn’t Paying.

3

Estée Lauder Closes Rodin Olio Lusso Brand

4

Amazon Illegally Fired Employees Critical of Work Conditions, Labor Board Finds

5

Argentina Apparel Sales Point to Partial Recovery

6

PVH Corp, H&M Could Feel Impact From Suez Canal Blockage

7

J-Beauty Giant Kao to Remove ‘Whitening’ From Labels

8

Boohoo’s New Warehouse to Boost Sales Capacity to More Than $5.5B

9

Report: Giorgio Armani Could Consider Joint Venture Partner

10

The Global Fashion Agenda Appoints CEO

What's your opinion?

People
  • Christian Louboutin
  • Delphine Arnault
  • Karl Lagerfeld
  • Rei Kawakubo
  • Marc Newson
  • Frank Gehry
  • Cindy Sherman
  • louis vuitton
Organisations
  • Louis Vuitton
  • Louis Vuitton
  • Karl Lagerfeld
  • London
  • Luxury
Article topic
  • Accessories
  • Heritage
  • Luxury
  • Design
  • Europe
  • Paris
  • Karl Lagerfeld
  • Louis Vuitton
About
  • About Us
  • Memberships
  • Newsletters
  • Press
  • Masthead
Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Contributors, Tips & Stories
  • Media & Press Requests
  • Feedback
  • Contact Us
Media
  • Advertising & Sponsorship
Connect with BoF
  • The State of Fashion 2021

Site Map © 2021 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.