Things are starting to feel a bit more normal again, aren't they? The sun is shining. The hanging mist of anxiety has been replaced by actual hanging humidity. You even heard someone laugh. Louis Vuitton is also getting a bit back to normal – normal being the French marque's propensity for trying something totally new. This time, it's creative director Virgil Abloh's very first collab during his tenure at Louis Vuitton – and it's right on cue for summer.
Titled the LV² collection, the house has teamed up with Japanese designer Nigo for a collection that fuses classic Vuitton signatures – the monogram, the holdalls, the Damier check and so on and so forth – with elevated off-duty denim. That means heavily printed jeans, jackets and bucket hats above chunky lace-up ankle boots, and loafers that are a Bit More Fun.
It's all very in-keeping with Abloh's high-impact handle at the brand. But it's also indicative of Nigo too, with the Bape alum known for collectible, Hall of Fame streetwear grails in the form of Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club (both of which the Maebashi-born designer co-launched with Pharrell Williams). Oh, and lest we forget he's one part of the now defunct Yokohama hip-hop corps Teriyaki Boyz, who made a very good soundtrack to The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift and even partnered with Kanye back in 2006. A very busy man, then.
A bit like Abloh. And what happens when two deified designers collaborate under the mantle of an enduring luxury brand? The same thing as what always happens. It sells out. Quickly. So, if you want in on the LV² collection on the eve of a very-nearly-normal summer, move fast. Some things will never change.
Available now at louisvuitton.com
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