The world can’t get enough of Yayoi Kusama and her dots – Louis Vuitton included. A decade after their first collaboration in 2012, the maison is reuniting with the Japanese artist for a collection of ready-to-wear, bags, shoes, accessories, luggages, trunks and fragrances featuring Kusama’s signature motifs and ideas.
The collaboration will be launched in two parts with distinct thematic directions. Drop 1 will launch Jan 1 in China and Japan, followed by the rest of the world on Jan 6. Drop 2 will be available in Louis Vuitton stores starting March 31, although full details have yet to be released.
In Drop 1 – glimpses of which were revealed at Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2023 show, Kusama’s Painted Dots, Metal Dots, Infinity Dots and Psychedelic Flower take the spotlight. Her Painted Dots – colourful like the original for women and muted to a gradation of black, silver, grey and white for men – are translated onto leather or coated canvas through a complex serigraphy technique and embossed printing. Meanwhile, Metal Dots, inspired by Kusama’s mirrored orbs, are embedded in black and silver leather goods, shoes and garments for that “sixties futuristic” look.
The artist’s most iconic motif, the Infinity Dots, proliferates in her signature colour palettes of black and white, red and white, yellow and black, as well as black and red for men on various Louis Vuitton’s icons, including the Twist, the Taurillon Capucines, the classic Keepall and the Soft Trunk. There are also spotted versions of the Vivienne doll, made in Kusama’s likeness.
Besides dots, florals are another of Kusama’s obsessions, and the Psychedelic Flower has found its way onto a variety of accessories and ready-to-wear, unfurling on cotton shirts, the Taurillon Monogram Bum Bag, the Capucines and more. Ahead, we round up the best picks from Drop 1:
