Thanks to Louis Vuitton, 2023 will be taken over by the dots.
Yes, we are talking about the recent collaboration launch of “Louis Vuitton x Kusama Collection”. It is not the first time that the art world and the fashion world have had such a great partnership. In fact, these two big names have come together before.
Back in 2012, under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton’s world and Yayoi Kusama’s world first collided together. The designs that stood out in the 2012 collaboration were Yayoi Kusama's iconic dots on Louis Vuitton's signature bags such as Speedy and Papillion. What is highly interesting about Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama’s signature dots is that she was inspired by her childhood hallucinations.
Image Source: Harrods
The partnership’s reunion after 10 years excited us all. In the current partnership, we see the dots and inspiration from “Infinity Mirror Rooms” by Yayoi Kusama again both on the designs and in Louis Vuitton stores. According to Louis Vuitton’s statements, “These exclusive bags feature a reinterpretation of the artist’s obsessive dots across Louis Vuitton signature shapes as well as on new models." Louis Vuitton is quite confident in the success of the collection, and the biggest proof of this is already including the sales in the Q1 2023 financial report.
Image Source: Louis Vuitton x Kusama Collection
What’s To Love About It?
The collaboration is a huge success for both Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama team-up. One of the reasons behind this success is that it is taking over the World not just by its designs but also by its strategy of decorating each Louis Vuitton store with the artworks of Yayoi Kusama and hyper-realistic mannequin of Yayoi Kusama accompanies us through the showcase of Louis Vuitton stores.
Louis Vuitton launched this exciting collaboration within an event that brought the art community, fashion community, and the city’s hottest highlights together. Tokyo Tower transformed into a colorful holiday tree inspired by Kusama's contemporary artwork.
Image Source: Hypebeast, Tokyo Pop-Up Store
On the other hand, we can see the traces of this partnership, which has taken over the fashion capitals. Placing a giant Yayoi Kusama statue roof of the Paris Louis Vuitton’ Champs-Élysées store, covering the entire Louis Vuitton store in Tokyo with Yayoi Kusama's yellow polka dots, opening a pop-up store in Harrods London that is exclusively for this partnership, show that the collection is versatile for the ones who want to participate in the Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama’s world.
Another thing to love about this colorful partnership is that it combines the fashion community and the art community. It creates an opportunity for both collectors and fans of Kusama to obtain designer items with the artist's touches. Also, the processing of dots on the items is another interesting story. Thanks to special technology, some 3D paint stains are processed into items as they are "wet" to give a look as if they were painted by Kusama's hand. This special technique was applied to Louis Vuitton menswear for the first time.
The communication campaign was deployed everywhere, in real and virtual form, and more than 460 Louis Vuitton stores were transformed into works of art throughout the world. Like the concept of street art, this strategy allows art to go beyond museums and art galleries and make art accessible everywhere and to everyone…
LVxYK
Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama not only took over the physical world but also thanks to the magic of AR, one can discover the experience through an App on the phone, called LVxYK. Many of Tokyo's famous spots featured live animations and selfie features via the AR filter.
These features were designed based on the interaction of the participants such as Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama sunglasses will be included and can be tried by all participants. If you visit Louis Vuitton's Instagram page, you can reach the specially designed selfie filters for different Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama collaborations.
The Tough Work Behind
Behind the versatility of this partnership, lies a well-thought-out strategy - a strategy that includes all these decorations, pop-up stores, online campaigns, social media posts, AR filters, and developed Apps, which leads the team to succeed in creating an immersive omnichannel experience. A perfect fit for the current luxury fashion market.
In case you are wondering what an omnichannel means, stay tuned for our upcoming posts.
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