I am not ashamed to admit that before
I was exposed to the vast universe of fashion, my style obsession was narrowed only to ‘everything-Louis Vuitton’. Years away from that phase now I still have fond
interest & enthusiasm on this brand and avidly follow Marc Jacobs striking
career at this glorified luxury French label.
Marc Jacobs modelling the 2009 version of the Stephen Sprouse's collaboration Image source: Highsnobiety.com
Marc Jacobs’ passion in art has immersed seamlessly
into the collection he has created for the house. It all started back in 2001
when the collaborated works with Stephen Sprouse was introduced (those
hot-ticket Graffiti-laden bags were later reintroduced in 2009, this time in
neon options). Then there were Richard Prince (whose The Nurse Series of
paintings were then translated onto the runway and his signature art technique
applied onto the bag craftsmanship) and recently a collaboration with Japanese
artist, Yayoi Kusama who single-handedly make polka dots relevant in the
fashion world all over again.
Finale at Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2008 show reinterpreted Richard Prince's 'The Nurse' paintings. Image source: Zimbio.com
Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton Concept Store in Singapore Image source: Retaildesignblog.net
Who could have forget the most
brilliant and ever-lasting collaboration that Louis Vuitton has with the
legendary Takashi Murakami. Now this partnership alone deserves one full blog post
but suffice to say this alliance is so successful that it all started back in
2003 and still continue till now. In fact, the ‘Multicolor Monogram’ canvas
that has been made permanent now as a type of leather for the house was first
created by the Master back then as a temporary collection.
The most iconic work of Murakami in Louis Vuitton - the Multicolor Monogram seen here on 'Alma' bag Image source: Louisvuitton.com
So it was foreseeable that Louis
Vuitton was to introduce new collaborative work with another artist during
their Spring Summer ’13 show held in Paris last week. What came as a surprise
was the introduction of Daniel Buren as the answer.
Correct me if I am wrong but the
house has never worked with a French conceptual artist for a major scale
collection before. You are not to blame if you never heard of his name but you would
have probably seen his works anywhere in the world. Daniel Buren is
most-famously known for his extensive list of permanent public art installations visible in five continents of the world (except Africa & Antarctica, that is).
His most notable work is probably
‘Les Deux
Plateaux’ installed on what was originally a parking lot
that was turned into a public park in 1986 in Palais Royal (where the only Rick
Owens and Marc Jacobs store are located in Paris. Oh, and the grand gallery of
Haute Couture collector, Didier Ludot). The work consists of simple black and
white striped pillars in different size sprouting up like concrete mushrooms
all over the place. Most local described the installation as hideous but the
same were said to so many other things in Paris anyway – the Pyramid at the Louvre,
lightings on the Eiffel and the list could go on and on.
Image source: Paris 1900
Les Deux Plateaux on the garden of Palais Royal Image source: Paris 1900
The show space was decorated in all the essence of Daniel Buren’s work.
To match up the level of grandeur that the show production of Louis Vuitton should
usually prevail, a full-scale working replica of his Leizpig Congress Center escalators
became the centrepiece of the big space (which previously were elevators and
trains, remember?) His signature '8.7cm wide' stripes' were visible all over the venue. He created the stripes back in 1969 as a radical rejection of traditional painting and the concept of the autonomy of the work of art.
The masterpiece at Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2013 show venue
The 'checkered' march.
Marc Jacobs taking his bow at the end of the show
The original installation of Daniel Buren's escalator at Leizpig Congress Center
Closer look at the Leizpig's version of the 8.7cm stripes
Another installation of the same work, this time at 2007 Art Basel
The whole show was spectacular (from watching Youtube video-point of
view) and Marc Jacobs has never fail to live up to expectations and continues
to amaze us all season after season. Now that Spring Summer 2013 circuit has
ended I cannot wait what will come next Fall Winter 2013 season in March next
year!
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