Amidst all the news of fashion week splashed across your digital screens this past week, there is one particular show that we are eager to watch—Louis Vuitton's Men’s Collection by the Louis Vuitton Studio Prêt-à- Porter Homme Spring-Summer 2023 spin-off show that will be held in China today, showcasing 10 new looks for the season.
Held in Aranya, a coastal community, it very much exposes us to the idea of how the vastness of sand invites opportunities to create and turn one's dreams into reality. Think along the lines of when we used to play in sandboxes or the beach as children, building sandcastles that we hoped to live in someday—the Maison decided to expand on the idea of the magnified playground first introduced in Paris in June.
Aranya, considered an artistic community, shares an affinity with the vision of Virgil Abloh, who led the French luxury house as their men's artistic director, to create a myriad of depictions of tomorrow. Its magnetism has grown over the past decade, when city dwellers started to dream of the simplicity of rural life. Since 2013, it has transformed itself into a place where you can seek enrichment in art exhibitions, music festivals, and landmark architectures.
The collection will feature unique iconography native to the playground adorns garments and accessories: origami paper planes, building block beading, playdough textures and tones, cartoon prints, and sandbox tool embellishments. It will also give a nod to Paris, by including a photo montage collaging elements from the city and the Maison—the Pont Neuf, the Damier pattern, the cornices of interiors—throughout the collection.
At Aranya, the 320 meters-catwalk will be situated between 2 key sites, executed by Vector Architects and that have earned semi-cult status since their completion in 2015; the Lonely Library and the Community Hall, an elevated white voluminous structure resembling a church, that plays host to hundreds of events organised by the community each year, from classical concerts, to theatre, playsand underground music festivals and contemporary dance.
Respecting Virgil Abloh’s emphasis on inclusivity, Louis Vuitton has extended show invitations to 100 young people from Aranya’s local communities. They will be sporting t-shirts dyed in every colour of the rainbow with the date “June 21 2018”, marking Virgil’s first show for Louis Vuitton. The show will stream live this evening across: Louis Vuitton's official website, Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, Kuaishou, Smart TV open page, Tencent, and Dewu.
Watch the livestream at 5.30pm SGT via Instagram or on Louis Vuitton's website.
