Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama extend collaboration to Selfridges concept store
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
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Pierre Yovanovitch on reviving French design house Ecart, and the ‘beautiful things’ aheadTwo years after acquiring Ecart, Yovanovitch unveils his plans for the design house founded by Andrée Putman and now relaunched with a series of reissues by American-Hungarian émigré Paul László
-
Rome’s hottest new bar is a temporary art installation – don’t miss itVilla Lontana presents ‘Bar Far’, a striking exhibition by British artists Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page, where nothing is what it seems
-
Apple unveils Creator Studio, a new subscription service for its top-tier creative appsApple Creator Studio brings together Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro and a host of other pro-grade creative apps, as well as a new level of AI-assisted content search
-
Alaïa unites fashion and art in its redesigned London flagshipConceived by creative director Pieter Mulier, Alaïa’s reopened New Bond Street flagship is an intimate space which doubles as an art gallery showcasing works from Sarah Lucas, Sterling Ruby, Marc Newson and more
-
Extraordinary runway sets from the A/W 2024 shows12 scene-stealing runway sets and show spaces from A/W 2024 fashion month, featuring Murano-glass cacti, rubber armchairs, flashing orbs and more
-
Frank Gehry’s Louis Vuitton handbags see fashion meet architectureFrank Gehry and Louis Vuitton’s limited-edition sculptural bags tell a tale of sharp design and precise craftsmanship. Here, the architect tells the story behind the project
-
Inside Sterling Ruby and OTW by Vans’ skatewear-inspired collaborationAmerican artist Sterling Ruby and OTW by Vans’ footwear collaboration was revealed in Los Angeles, backdropped by a specially constructed skate park created with PLAYLAB, INC
-
AV Vattev is the London-based menswear brand creating slow fashion with a subcultural twistPart of Sarabande: The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation, Antonio Vattev of AV Vattev is staunch in his commitment to slow fashion, even as he stacks up stockists and famous fans
-
Cult men’s grooming brand Horace opens its first London flagship storeMen’s grooming brand Horace has unveiled its first standalone international store outside of its home in France
-
Louis Vuitton’s miniature symphony is this year’s most enchanting accessoryLouis Vuitton’s ‘LV Symphony’, a series of miniature musical instruments which double as brooches and rings, was awarded ‘Best Orchestral Manoeuvre’ at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
-
Dripping slime, bedhead hair: 2023 fashion highlights, as picked by the Wallpaper* teamThe Wallpaper* style and beauty team picks their 2023 fashion highlights, from curtains of slime at Prada to bedhead hair at Miu Miu, and Pharrell Williams’ Paris shutdown for his Louis Vuitton debut