In line with Louis Vuitton’s travel-focused mantra (which stems from the Parisian brand’s beginnings as a luggage purveyor), its collections journey aesthetically across time zones and countries. For S/S 2011, its then creative director Marc Jacobs and men’s studio director Paul Helbers both explored the iconography of the East. Jacobs presented sparkling evening wear that riffed on the seduction of Old Shanghai, including thigh-revealing satin qipao, Mandarin-collar halter necks, plus panda and tiger-motif blouses and knitwear, accessorised with fans and trailing beaded earrings. Elsewhere, Helbers’ relaxed yet luxurious silhouettes included blazers and travel bags laser-cut with dragons, Oriental print scarves and leather bracelets strung with golden coins.
Louis Vuitton, S/S11
Louis Vuitton has form when it comes to travelling around Asia: in 1907, the house was partner in the inaugural Beijing-Paris automobile rally, providing practical trunks for the adventure; in 1931, over 100 trunks were provided for another Asian rally. Examples of these designs were featured in ‘Volez , Voguez, Voyagez’, the maison’s 2018 luggage-focused show at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. This also featured trunks customised by Chinese artists Xu Bing and Ding Yi.
Marc Jacobs. Photography by Dominique Charriau, GettyImages
INFORMATION
-
The Stuff That Surrounds You: Inside Erwan Bouroullec’s remote creative retreatIn The Stuff That Surrounds You, Wallpaper* explores a life through objects. In this episode, we journey to rural Burgundy, where Erwan Bouroullec has transformed an abandoned farmstead into a laboratory for his category-defying designs
-
At the top of a Bangalore high-rise, a minimalist sanctuaryDesigned by Studio Prakruthi and belonging to its founder, this tranquil, meditative apartment showcases the power of ultra-curated minimalism
-
Why M+ is Hong Kong's must-see cultural crossroadsA combination of Asian insight and global outlook makes the Herzog & de Meuron-designed museum of contemporary visual culture a unique experience for international audiences
