Kusama fever has been spreading for a while, and it's officially in its most virulent stage. The Japanese artist, who created a spectacularly dotty limited-edition cover for our W*159 June issue, has been the subject of a worldwide retrospective that this year toured to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London and New York's Whitney Museum. The infection has spread to the fashion realm too, with her iconic polka dot patterns being picked up on a line of leather goods and a small ready-to-wear collection for Louis Vuitton, launched in July.
The 84-year-old artist's assured collaboration with the French fashion house - for which she has also been commissioned to create a series of 'worldwide windows' for its stores around the globe – is arguably Louis Vuitton's smartest artistic coup to date. Now they've extended the collaboration to London's Selfridges.
Twenty-four windows of the department store have been polka-dotted by the artist. Louis Vuitton and Kusama have essentially 'taken over' Selfridges in celebration of the second wave of the collection, which will hold court exclusively in store until 19 October, when it will then be available in Louis Vuitton stores.
The dotty assault, a signature the contemporary art maven has used to define her paintings, sculptures and installations through the years, continues inside Selfridges' Concept Store – a space designed to house ephemeral special projects such as this. Here, giant be-dotted pumpkin structures - another hallmark of her work - frame Louis Vuitton's new collection by Kusama, which all feature repeated patterns in a colour-pop of vibrant hues.
Polka-dotted Louis Vuitton flags line the roof of the London department store, in celebration of the French luxury brand's collaboration with the prolific Japanese artist
Kusama's window design for Selfridges takes over 24 of the store's windows
Louis Vuitton's collection by Kusama sees two of her iconic polka dot patterns appear on a line of leather goods and a small ready-to-wear collection
First launched in July, the collection's 'second wave' of products was launched last week
Louis Vuitton window at Selfridges, by Yayoi Kusama
Louis Vuitton window at Selfridges, by Yayoi Kusama
Louis Vuitton window at Selfridges, by Yayoi Kusama
Louis Vuitton window at Selfridges, by Yayoi Kusama
Louis Vuitton window at Selfridges, by Yayoi Kusama
On sale exclusively at Selfridges is one of five Pumpkin Minaudiere clutches in the world
Pumpkin Minaudiere clutch by Kusama for Louis Vuitton
ADDRESS
400 Oxford Street
London
W1A 1AB