Louis Vuitton: Series 3 London October 2015
It has taken me a while *ahem nearly two months* to write my review of this down but here it goes because this exhibition was too good and if you missed it in London then you really missed out.
Opening at the culmination of London Fashion Week, the Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition wasnât exactly a hidden affair, although press leading up to the opening was cryptic. Housed in a formerly empty space at the end of The Strand, the exhibition took a tour through the inspirations for the AW15/16 collection, as well as taking a look into the heritage of the worldâs most successful luxury brands.
The first two rooms were very conceptual, housing a geodesic dome reflected in a mirrored ceiling to give the illusion of a full sphere. Ship sails were used to construct a tunnel into the next room, harking back to the origins of the brand manufacturing leather travel goods. The sails allude to the spirit of travel embedded in the genetics of the brand. Whether this was for women travelling to the Far East where the luxury fashion industry has seen a huge growth in the luxury market. Guided tours of the exhibition meant that there was no crowding around tiny plaques with descriptions of what we were meant to be looking at. everything was explained clearly and accessibly by the guides, all with impeccable manners. After leaving home from a family of craftsmen at 14, Louis Vuitton embarked on the nearly 300 mile trek to Paris on his own. After an apprenticeship with a box maker, Louis invented the first ever flat top trunk with a waterproof design made using beeswax to prevent water penetration. Prior to this, trunks had been made with curved lids to direct water to runoff. Flat top trunks were stackable and therefore more convenient as travel became more accessible for the middle classes.
The collection is made up of 48 individual looks and of course, plenty of accessories, displayed in the exhibition on screens relaying life size images of the pieces in a scale model of the catwalk. Ghesquire Juxtapositions in the AW15 collection: Masculine and Feminine, feminine designs with a brutish masculine finish. East meets West, oriental designs with a western cut. It is a covetable collection, the Yeti coat made of lamb shearling is my personal favourite, modelled by Freja Beha Erichsen. The metallic cut out top is another standout, edgy yet retaining a certain amount of modesty, the perfect mixture between flirty and edgy with the peplum waist and sleeves combined with the co-ord skirt and chain belt (I have been keeping my eye out for a Zara dupe all season to no avail!). This season sees a myriad of new handbag styles, all reinventions of heritage items as far back as 1895, and reinterpretations of the classics. Reinventing the monogram - the checked pattern was the original trademark of an authentic LV trunk as even in the early days of the brand, Louisâ revolutionary designs were being copied and sold as knockoffs. A configuration of three crosses can be seen on many of this seasons styles, owing their presence to Albert Kahn, a French banker and philanthropist, who commissioned LV pieces.
The next room showed the laser technology used to cut the leather for the seasonâs handbags whilst in the next room you were taken right back to the traditional craftsmanship of the leather goods. French artisans (complete with translators) demonstrated the techniques used to create the Petite Malle bag, a miniature of the travel vanity cases created in the twentieth century. (Video can be found here)
Series 3 confirms Ghesquireâs position in my mind as a fashion revolutionary, teasing out the core values of the brand whilst enabling it to flourish for a new generation. His creativity and vision is not lost among the history and does the difficult job of enhancing each other. Fashion exhibitions have become blockbuster hits in London of late, and dependent on social media who want to feel connected to the story of the brand. I certainly felt invested in the house after my visit. With free entry, posters and collectible stickers to take away, Series 3 is not just another retrospective; it is a clever marketing tool that reaffirms the position of the house in todays connected society. Free wifi in the lounge/bar area at the end with spectacular views also encouraged guests to tweet and instagram their pictures (yes, you were more than welcome to take pictures). Ghesquiere, through Series 3, has invested in the fans who will be more than happy to return the house the favour.
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