Marc Jacobs isn’t only a designer or perfumier, he is the party responsible for a Louis Vuitton collaboration which would change the trajectory of the brand, and arguably the rest of the industry. Despite being one of the oldest luxury fashion houses, Louis Vuitton has traditionally had a close relationship with popular streetwear brands and artists like Supreme, Comme Des Garcons and Nike. The relevancy of Louis Vuitton was only made possible by its early adoption of alternative ideas, like the long-term collaboration with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.
The collaboration between the two tastemakers began in 2002, with the “Multicolore” collection; a twist on the classic Louis Vuitton monogram, replacing the traditional coffee colour of the monogram with a total of 33 colours, available in a roster of the traditional styles of leather goods and accessories. This was only the beginning of a 13-year relationship between the artist & the brand. The Multicolore was followed by the Cherry Blossom collection in 2002, the Panda collection in 2004, the Cerises (Cherry) collection in 2005, and the MOCA Hands collection in 2007; an extremely rare and only available to purchase at the MOCA museum in Los Angeles. This was succeeded by the Monogramouflage collection in 2008 and the Cosmic Blossom collection in 2010. These were eventually all discontinued when Nicolas Ghesquière replaced Jacobs as creative director in 2015, as Ghesquière looked to make his mark on the brand.
Since then, the collaboration continues to make its mark in the fashion world, now statement pieces for “in the know” handbag lovers and collectors. Favourites of the Hadids and Jenners, they aptly represent the current redirection of the luxury industry; with traditional brands creating collections geared towards the new, younger, hipper generation of clientele.
