Cover Details of Liza Lou’s Artycapucines (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Details of Liza Lou’s Artycapucines (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines collection chapter five is where art meets timeless elegance
Trends come and go. The world is in flux, constantly awaiting the next trend. Louis Vuitton remains a steadfast symbol of timeless elegance and innovation in a volatile market. This year, the Maison brings another comforting collection originating from its signature creativity as it showcases the creative brilliance of five leading contemporary artists. Billie Zangewa, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Liza Lou, Tursic & Mille and Ziping Wang are generously lending their unique vision to Louis Vuitton’s iconic Capucines bag.
Since its launch, the Artycapucines Collection has been a testament to Louis Vuitton’s commitment to artistry, innovation and craftsmanship. The collection derives its name from the historic Rue Neuve des Capucines, where Louis Vuitton opened its first store in 1854. Over the years, this collection has provided a creative space and blank canvas for 29 contemporary artists to breathe life into, resulting in a stunning fusion of modern talent and classic craftsmanship.
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Above Ziping Wang (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Above Wang’s creation for the Artycapucines collection (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Ziping Wang (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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Chinese artist Wang introduces a delightful miniature Artycapucines, the smallest bag in the collection, a lovely combination of leather patchwork and marquetry in vivid colours and candy-inspired motifs. Wang’s design is a powerful comment on a visually saturated and self-reflective world.
Zangewa, a talented artist born in Malawi and now based in South Africa, showcases her artistic mastery in the Artycapucines collection with her unique style and approach; she uses a deliberately imperfect patchwork of raw silk to create stunning pieces of landscapes and portraits. Zangewa’s 2020 work, The Swimming Lesson, featuring her son, Mika, takes centre stage in this collection.
Her work is skillfully recreated onto the silhouette of the Capucines bag through a combination of high-definition printing, trompe-l’oeil techniques, expressive embroidery and intentionally visible hand stitching. In Zangewa’s work, the female identity and underrepresentation in the Western canon play a central role. Her Artycapucines design beautifully encapsulates this theme, making it an impressive addition to the collection.
Above Billie Zangewa in her studio with her Artycapucines (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Billie Zangewa in her studio with her Artycapucines (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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Above Tursic & Mille’s addtition to the Artycapucine collection (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Above Tursic & Mille (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Tursic & Mille’s addtition to the Artycapucine collection (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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The Capucines bag reflects the curiosity of the creative team Tursic & Mille with the overabundance of images of modern culture and society. With a charred cedar wood handle and an inlaid LV emblem, the bag is transformed into a distinctive flower shape and used as a canvas for a highly embroidered and coloured rendition of their 2021 artwork, Tenderness.
Known for her use of beads in large-scale sculptures and more intimate pieces, Lou makes her captivating mark on the Artycapucines. With embossed soft leather, along with her signature beadwork, her creation is a stunning textured piece. Pastel colours delicately printed on the leather bring the bag to life, draping around the Capucines like a sculptural second skin.
Above Liza Lou in her studio (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Liza Lou in her studio (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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Polish painter Juszkiewicz, known for her striking and surreal artwork, contributes to the Artycapucines Collection a recreation of her 2021 masterpiece, Ginger Locks. To replicate the gradated background of her original work, a smooth calfskin is hand-sprayed with paint, ensuring every detail is captured clearly. The technique used was three-dimensional (3D) printing, a modern process blending with the brand’s heritage ever so subtly, revealing itself only through its golden edges. A pleasant surprise awaits you inside the bag—a detachable leather envelope with a detail from the painting inspired by 18th-century secret love letters. Juszkiewicz’s Artycapucines, with its specially crafted shoulder strap, is a striking example of her ability to combine tradition and surrealism.
Above Juszkiewicz’s work for the Artycapucines collection (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Above Ewa Juszkiewicz (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
Juszkiewicz’s work for the Artycapucines collection (Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton)
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Throughout its history, Louis Vuitton has consistently put its innovative spirit and artisanal expertise in the service of artists and their creativity, beginning with Gaston-Louis’s commissioning of works in the Twenties to legendary partnerships with artists like Sol LeWitt, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami. This collection affirms the Capucines as a representation of the feminine and an outlet for creative expression. Limited to 200 pieces overall, each of the 2023 Artycapucines bags will come in a unique package developed just for them.
With this latest collection, Louis Vuitton continues to push the boundaries of art and fashion, reinforcing its legacy as a true pioneer in the luxury industry.
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