Three runway shows in and slightly over a year into the job, Virgil Abloh's creative vision for Louis Vuitton has become iconic in its own right. The men's artistic director has transformed archival Louis Vuitton pieces into covetable styles, all thanks to his approach of tweaking three percent of a design in order to recontextualise and rework it for the modern day.
It's an approach that works for Louis Vuitton, given the maison's extensive history in trunk-making and creating bespoke pieces for its clients. And of course, it helps that there's a great catalogue of iconic silhouettes to work with too. What Abloh has created in turn, are pieces that are intrinsically Louis Vuitton yet seen through a fresh, new lens.
Louis Vuitton New Classics marks a significant chapter in the men's universe of Louis Vuitton. The series is a collection of four bags that have been given the Abloh touch and are now officially an integral part of the maison's accessories lexicon.
The Louis Vuitton Steamer has been modernised as a roomy business bag. The Pochette Volga (the smallest piece in Louis Vuitton New Classics) is designed to be versatile with a detachable strap that allows it to be used as either a clutch or a sizeable wallet. The maison's trunk-making history is reenvisioned into the Soft Trunk, a supple and relatively lightweight trunk that alludes to the original. As part of Louis Vuitton New Classics, the Soft Trunk is also available in a mini size.
Each bag comes designed with Abloh's now-signature leitmotif for Louis Vuitton: the resin chain. They also come in the maison's Monogram Eclipse—a reiteration of the range being permanent bag silhouettes for men, and easy pieces to incorporate into one's wardrobe.
With Louis Vuitton New Classics, each bag will now be a constant fixture in future collections by Abloh. But of course, constantly evolving, changing, and refreshed every season.
The Louis Vuitton New Classics collection will be available 10 October 209 onwards at the newly launched Louis Vuitton Singapore e-commerce platform, as well as Louis Vuitton boutiques at Marina Bay Sands, Ngee Ann City, ION Orchard, and Changi Airport Terminal 3.
