Louis Vuitton Men’s collection
by Virgil Abloh Fall-Winter 2022
‘An octology according to Virgil Abloh.’ Collection 8: In the grand scheme of things. Paris, January 2022.
![img02](https://cdn.vitkac.com/vitkac/LP/lv/capucines/1f.jpg)
Imagination: the human faculty of forming new ideas not already
present to the senses.
Definition and redefinition are key to understanding the work of
Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton. Supported by his seasonal Vocabulary –
“a liberal definition of terms and explanation of ideas” – his
eight-collection arc is founded in the desire to change our ways of
seeing. Using fashion as a tool, his premise lies in decoding the
biases associated with the components of human appearance. He wants to
recode the way we treat each other according to how we look and
present ourselves. One of Virgil Abloh’s most used terms, imagination
is what fuels this dream. It’s what drove him to Louis Vuitton and
what defines his legacy at the Maison.
Executed in eight parts between 2018 and 2022, the work of the Men’s
Artistic Director is never content with simply imagining new clothes
and accessories. He seeks to evolve the human val - ues with which we
imbue our dress codes, and test how they – as social, political and
cultural signifiers – can be used to im - plement change beyond
fashion. Driven by that imagination, the 𝓛𝓸𝓾𝓲𝓼 Dreamhouse™ conceived
by Virgil Abloh for Fall-Winter 2022 (Collection 8) serves to condate
the themes and messages of the arc he created at Louis Vuitton. It’s
an octology that plays out in the tradition of the Hero’s Journey: the
age-old story of the underdog, who is tried and tested, and becomes a
sensation in the eyes of his spectators.
The coming-of-age story unites the designer with his audience, and allows
future generations to mirror themselves in his experience. At its root is
his Boyhood Ideology®, the childlike sensibility observed throughout his
oeuvre. Virgil Abloh defines the Boyhood Ideology® as the unspoiled
outlook of a child, who is yet to be affected by the preconceived ideas of
society. He wants to reset our preordained perceptions and start from
scratch where clothes are clothes and humans are humans. To cement this
methodology, he frames his shows in childlike whimsy: the 𝓛𝓸𝓾𝓲𝓼
Dreamhouse™ of Collection 8, the bouncy castle and build-your-own-kite kit
of Collection 3, or the rainbow runway of Collection 1 where it all
begins.
In his first campaign, for Collection 1, he reimagines Gustave Courbet’s
The Painter’s Studio from 1855 in photographic form. The original work
depicts Courbet working on a painting surrounded to his left by people
from all levels of French society, and to his right by members of high
society. Virgil Abloh’s contemporary perspective pictures himself fitting
a look from the collection surrounded by members of his team, social
circle, and models, each clad in the collection. Where Courbet’s painting
interprets ‘real world’ society for the eyes of the cultural elite, Virgil
Abloh portrays the all-encompassing exchange that defines his vision for
Louis Vuitton: diversity, inclusivity, and unity. He revisits the painting
for Collection 8, adapting the original into tapestries and prints.
After The Wizard of Oz, it had to be The Wiz. Inspired by the Oz
adaptation that featured an all-Black cast, Collection 2 establishes the
Black Imagination that will underpin Virgil Abloh’s every move at Louis
Vuitton. Black Imagination denotes the rethinking and overturning of
inherited and often unconscious expectations tied to Black identities
through history. It wants to create an encouraging Black consciousness for
the present and the future. Merging this premise with his Boyhood
Ideology®, Virgil Abloh creates a colourful crew of puppets for Collection
5 based on his memories of his friends when they descended on Paris for
his first Louis Vuitton show.
The puppets look like toys, but they are inspired by the West African
wooden sculptures he grew up with as the son of Ghanaian immigrants.
Throughout Collections 5, 6 and 7, his work begins to express a more
personal nature. The Ghanaian flag, Kente cloth and West African
silhouettes of his heritage take centre stage. He bases his film for
Collection 6 on James Baldwin’s Stranger in the Village, examining the
experience of being a Black artist in the birthplace of European art. He
devotes Collection 7 to the Amen Break, a little-known drum break of a
B-side created by the funk-soul group The Winstons in 1969, which would be
sampled and go on to underpin the hip-hop and jungle genres, and splinter
into thousands of the pop tracks most familiar to us today.
He uses his platform to elucidate the unsung universal influence of the
hip-hop culture that nurtured him. He wants to contribute to a Black
Canon: an abstract catalogue for the memory, reconstruction and
preservation of the history of Black art on par with the way in European
art is studied and taught. To Virgil Abloh, documenting his prolific
output is always about posterity: preserving it so it might inspire future
generations, and open the door he has kept ajar for the opportunities of
others. With this in mind, time is of the essence. His work often deals
with themes of time: the lifespan we are given to make a difference on
this Earth.
The invitation for Collection 4 features a clock that goes backwards. In
the middle of the surrealist cloud-adorned show set stands a tree fitted
with a ladder that reaches into Heaven. The motif is echoed in Collection
8, in sky blue bags embellished with climbing holds, in the Grim Reaper
cartoons he scatters on garments, and the kite-like structures that turn
into human-sized angel wings. Like his beloved cityscapes by Giorgio de
Chirico, Virgil Abloh imagines a life where we can slow down the clock,
turn back time, or even make it come to a stop.
To Virgil Abloh, limitations are manmade. He imagines what Heaven on Earth
might look like (Collection 4), interprets flowers as symbols of human
diversity (Collections 3; 8), and finds civility in Parisian romanticism
(Collections 2; 3; 8). He is passionate about surrealism, but his work is
never as passive as escapism. At the core of his ethos is a genuine desire
to confront the issues of the world, and he approaches that dream with
fervent pragmatism. When rational solutions don’t seem to make the world a
better place, he gives the opposite a shot.
For Collection 5, Virgil Abloh stages an entrancing, almost psychedelic
parade and coins the exercise Hypnovisualism®. A decidedly irrational way
of inspiring compassion in people through hallucinogenic displays of
wonder, it is closely linked to his concept of the Trojan Horse for the
Mind™. It is his way of sugar-coating social and political issues in
pleasant layers of what he calls “nuance” – theatrics, amusement, poetry –
and delivering his weightiest messages with a smile. Virgil Abloh sees
that clothes can be used as tools for change, and decides to use every
inch of his global platform to create something far beyond the realm of
“fashion”.
About Louis Vuitton
Since 1854, Louis Vuitton has brought unique designs to the world,
combining innovation with style, always aiming for the finest quality and
preserving biodiversity. Today, the House remains faithful to the spirit
of its founder, Louis Vuitton, who invented a genuine “Art of Travel”
through luggage, bags and accessories which were as creative as they were
elegant and practical. Since then, audacity has shaped the story of Louis
Vuitton. Faithful to its heritage, Louis Vuitton has opened its doors to
architects, artists and designers across the years, all the while
developing disciplines such as ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches,
jewellery, and fragrance. These carefully created products are testament
to Louis Vuitton’s commitment to fine craftsmanship.
For further information:
www.louisvuitton.com