Louis Vuitton Launches Collaboration Between Virgil Abloh and Nigo

The French fashion house's artistic director for menswear Virgil Abloh has teamed up with the Human Made and Bape founder to work on a one-off capsule collection

Luxury fashion meets streetwear once again at Louis Vuitton. This time around, it’s a collaboration between men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh and Japanese designer and Human Made founder Nigo for a one-off line. The Louis Vuitton LV² capsule collection is for the pre-fall 2020 season and is composed of ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes and accessories and will launch in two phases, with the first being on June 26 and the next on August 28.

The partnership was first announced in December, with the lookbook finally unveiled today. The mood of LV² is centred on the London Mod-era dandy while celebrating the luxury house’s travel-centric core with a mix of Nigo’s creative touch.

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Love the French maison’s signature monogram and Damier pattern? The two are combined and heavily featured throughout the collection in the form of patchworking—from cropped Mod suits to classic bags such as the Keepall. Additionally, there is the new LV² logo that appears on jewellery pieces, front pockets of jackets and accessories.

Nigo’s heaviest influence is most evident in the bags for this collection, as the melting or dripping design pays homage to another brand he founded, Icecream. But for something that references Nigo’s playful touch when it comes to graphic design, it would be the bomber jacket that is emblazoned with Mount Fuji on its back with the words ‘LV Made’. Abloh and Nigo were also generous with the use of denim for this pre-fall 2020 collection, resulting in key pieces such as jackets, pants and even bucket hats.

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And for those curious, it was Nigo who coined the name LV², according to Abloh—who said the name is exclusive to them and added that they’re like a “new rap group”.

Oh, and remember when Abloh sent waves throughout the fashion industry (and set social media ablaze) when he said that “streetwear is dead”? To his credit, this pre-fall 2020 collection doesn’t exactly scream streetwear despite the fact that he teamed up with the man who founded Bape and has deep roots within streetwear. However, Abloh has since clarified his comment in a new interview with Vogue to say that he “didn’t say it to be polarising” and was merely talking about the “regeneration” of streetwear.

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Louis Vuitton

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Louis Vuitton Virgil Abloh Nigo Streetwear Monogram Patchwork Damier print Mod-style Dandy

Tatler Asia

Louis Vuitton Launches Collaboration Between Virgil Abloh and Nigo