The year 2003 is remembered for many things: England’s Rugby World Cup win. The last-ever Concorde flight. Britney and Madonna’s steamy kiss at the VMAs. The release of Love, Actually. But, for some, no moment in pop culture was as seismic as Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Takashi Murakami.
First debuted on the SS03 catwalk, the Japanese artist’s rainbow-hued and cherry blossom-stamped monogram duffels and totes were the It bags of the 2000s. Paris Hilton owned several, while a bow-adorned pink blossom pochette was permanently nestled in the crook of queen bee Regina George’s arm in Tina Fey’s Mean Girls.
Leather Capucines East-West Mini bag, £5,750
Leather Square Mini Trunk, £7,650
The collaboration, which was discontinued shortly after then-creative director Marc Jacobs’ departure from the house in 2013, was one of the brand’s longest running and most successful, reportedly generating more than $300mn in its first year alone. It also helped cement the heritage trunk-maker’s status as a high-fashion juggernaut, planting its accessories in the collective consciousness of a younger generation, and ushering in the artist collaboration as a key marketing tool. Although Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau had brought their surrealist touch to Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs as early as the 1930s, the Murakami project represented the first “monumental marriage of art and commerce”, as Jacobs remarked in 2008, and would pave the way for future hype-generating artist commissions from Louis Vuitton such as Richard Prince’s acid-wash totes and Yayoi Kusama’s dotted bags.
More than 20 years later, Louis Vuitton is launching a re-edition collection that will see Murakami’s pop art-inspired designs — including his kaleidoscopic reinterpretation of the house’s monogram from 2003 — revived across more than 200 bags and accessories. “At the time, I had no idea what kind of brand Louis Vuitton really was, and I didn’t understand the impact of changing the products’ classic base colour to pure white,” says Murakami, who replaced the brand’s brown insignia with his signature superflat aesthetic in an array of 33 vibrant hues, from hot pink to Kelly green. The global frenzy, which saw waiting lists in the thousands, and spawned further collections featuring anthropomorphic smiling cherries (2005) as well as camouflage (2008), would also propel Murakami to international stardom. “Our collaboration began because Marc Jacobs took notice of me and the timing of it all really worked out to my advantage,” says Murakami. “Ultimately I feel I was lucky.”
Released in three parts, the first chapter, launching this month, features Murakami’s colour-soaked monogram and floral motifs splashed across well-loved styles such as the Nicolas Ghesquière-designed cross-body Dauphine bag, the ladylike top-handle Alma style and the OnTheGo tote, as well as on accessories such as wallets, belts, silk scarves and sunglasses.
Murakami’s cartoon-like Panda motif has also been brought back, appearing on travel bags including the Keepall 45 duffel bag and the mini square trunk, with new printing technology allowing the character to appear more vibrant and defined than ever. With its psychedelic ears and lurid pink tongue, it’s an antidote to the sober “quiet luxury” aesthetic that has, for some, neutered the fun and frivolity of fashion. “I hope that these cute characters will be passed on to the children,” says Murakami, “and that they’ll still be cherished 20 or 30 years from now.”
Attrape-Rêves perfume, £310 for 100ml EDP
Leather and metal LV Iconic Superflat key holder, £340
The re-release chimes with the current nostalgia for Y2K, which has seen the reboot of Balenciaga’s 2001-era City bag and the resurgence of Carrie Bradshaw’s Fendi Baguette. Moreover, it comes at a critical moment of introspection for the luxury sector, as economic uncertainty coupled with rampant price inflation have resulted in a slowdown in demand, particularly in the once-booming China. Although parent company LVMH does not break out sales for individual brands, its fashion and leather goods division — which includes Louis Vuitton, Dior, Loewe and Celine — reported third-quarter sales down five per cent to €9.15bn, with group sales down three per cent.
“Re-edition collections are like movie sequels: they have a higher probability of success,” says Luca Solca, head of luxury-goods research at Bernstein. “They enjoy a large ‘installed base’ so are therefore likely to attract at least a big portion of this client base back to stores. This seems highly appropriate at a time when consumer demand is relatively weak.”
With the original styles still commanding exorbitant prices on the secondary market (a multicoloured monogram trunk is listed, at time of writing, for £85,113 on ecommerce site Farfetch), Murakami’s magic should lure shoppers back in-store. For the artist, it’s all about legacy. “I’m always thinking from a universal perspective — about how my work will live on even after I die,” he says. “I think that’s why it’s had a long lifespan.”
