Louis Vuitton has tapped five international artists for their latest collection of silk scarves. The results, which range from frenetically 8-bit to pensively lush, all stem from their monogram’s four-petal bloom. At the same time, though, this season’s crop encompasses the diverse aesthetics of our digital era, which no single trend ever dominates.
“Parfums de Méditerranée,” by Nicolas de Crécy. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
The collection’s collaborators are German pixel-art collective eBoy, Franco-Japanese-Spanish design duo Icinori, Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, French graphic novelist and illustrator Nicolas de Crécy, and Swiss artist Thomas Ott. For his part, de Crécy has envisioned a serene scene titled “Parfums de Méditerranée,” inspired by the grounds of Grasse, where Louis Vuitton is building their perfumerie. At first, de Crêcy’s garden passes for a forgotten Impressionist watercolor—until the viewer’s eye drifts to the foreground, where the icons of Louis Vuitton’s monogram are in bloom. Meanwhile, German pixel art collective Eboy’s “Maze of Precious” reinterprets the LV logo like a vintage video game, surrounded by borders evoking retro video games like Pac Man.
“Essentially, it’s a hybrid object, both a garment and a piece of art, a canvas on display,” Eboy has remarked of their scarf, which would indeed be equally at home inside a frame as it would around a neck. “When worn, only parts of the design are visible, and its orientation is unpredictable.” Four of the five scarves in this collection—including theirs—feature the same design in an alternate colorway on the accessory’s opposite side.
“Maze of Precious” by Eboy. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Icinori’s geometric arranement “Malles Monde” pits Louis Vuitton’s origins as a trunk maker alongside the floral elements that define their identity today. A release from the house says this visual dichotomy embodies “perpetual renewal and ongoing journey of life.” Mattotti, on the other hand, places flowers center stage in “Iris Spring,” a work of pastels and colored pencils which directly references a bit of art nouveau stained glass still on view within the Vuitton family’s home.
“Urban Flowers” by Thomas Ott. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Swiss artist Thomas Ott proves the most unlikely of these collaborators. Best known for his black and white graphic novels, Ott’s single-sided scarf illustrates the powerful phenomenon of a flower blooming in a dark room, as popularized by Kendrick Lamar. “The theme “FLOWERS”, given by Louis Vuitton was a bit [of] a challenge for me,” Ott mused in an emailed statement. “I normally avoid drawing flowers, it’s not so much my thing. But this is what’s interesting in this work. I have to leave my comfort zone.”
Each of these five artists has also compiled a Louis Vuitton travel book, exploring destinations of their choosing from Tokyo to Route 66—and offering plentiful ideas regarding where to wear these silken artworks once they hit shelves on August 30.
Since its 2001 collaboration with Stephen Sprouse, Louis Vuitton has pioneered modern art and fashion collaborations. But, their silk scarf commissions actually started it all for the French luxury maison, back in 1987. Since then, Os Gemeos and Retna have followed the footsteps of Sol LeWitt and James Rosenquist by creating original artworks to be transferred onto silk at Louis Vuitton’s Como, Italy facilities. An exhibition of these historic scarves is currently on view at Louis Vuitton’s Paris headquarters.
LV Art Silk Squares will be on sale in Louis Vuitton store and online from August 30.