Inside 'Louis Vuitton Catwalk'

Louis Vuitton Catwalk is the first comprehensive overview of Louis Vuitton’s cutting-edge fashion collections, from the house’s first collection designed by creative director Marc Jacobs (1998-2014) to the work of Nicolas Ghesquière, who helms the brand today.

Every ready-to-wear collection is represented, as are Cruise collections from the arrival of Ghesquière onwards, complete with designer profiles and collection texts. This book offers a unique opportunity to chart the development of one of the most iconic luxury brands in the world. It’s a treasure trove of inspiration for all fashion professionals and fans of Louis Vuitton.

Below is a little preview inside the newest title in the Catwalk series.

A/W 1998-1999 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOB

‘Louis Vuitton’s inaugural catwalk show was presented on 9th March 1998. Creative director, Marc Jacobs said, ‘I made a conscious decision not to do what the fashion community expected’, electing to show a single handbag and to hide the house’s emblematic Monogram motif almost entirely.’

2003 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

‘Jacobs and Murakami transformed fashion into fantasy, inspired by manga cartoons, Pop Art, Alice in Wonderland, 1950s pin-up style, and the artist’s ‘superflat’ theory.’

2008 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

Marc Jacobs formed a collaboration with artist Richard Prince.

‘Inspired by Prince’s most iconic pieces (his Nurse paintings, for example, and his use of corny jokes and cartoons), the artist and the designer worked together to create ‘hybrids of what Vuitton is and what [Prince] is’.’

2009 – 2010 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

‘A live brass band provided ambience for the show’s salon-like setting. ‘On the runway,’ the house stated, ‘skirts came short and shoulders big, and everything came ruched and ruffled, frilled and flounced.’’

2012- 2013 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

‘’Through clouds of vapour, a gleaming locomotive appears with luxurious cars displaying the Louis Vuitton initials – and forty-seven passengers with an unparalleled, never-before-seen glamour disembark’, stated the house about the autumn/winter 2012 collection.’

2013 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

‘After the romance of the train and storytelling… I was like, yeah, let’s have a grid’ – Marc Jacobs

2014 READY-TO-WEAR MARC JACOBS

‘Black to me is the colour of the chicest women in Paris’ –Marc Jacobs

‘At 10am on 2 October 2013, Marc Jacobs presented his final collection for Louis Vuitton after 16 years as creative director’

2014 – 2015 READY-TO-WEAR NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE

‘On 5th March 2014, newly appointed creative director Nicolas Ghesquière presented his much anticipated inaugural collection for Louis Vuitton. It combined the DNA of the house with a youthful spirit.’

2015 – 2016 READY-TO-WEAR NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE

‘‘The idea was to build this observatory station’ Ghesquière explained, “to receive this crowd of women who are themselves a bit of an explorer. This time it was about a lot of individuality. How women today explore in many ways and mix things.’’ – Nicolas Ghesquière

2018 READY-TO-WEAR NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE

‘Might it be possible to awaken the clothes of long-gone eras and infuse them with the spirit of today?’ – Nicolas Ghesquière

2018 – 2019 READY-TO-WEAR NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE

‘It’s the legacy of people who built my taste and informed my choices, plus the span in time and the dialogue between East and West.’ – Nicolas Ghesquière

All images © firstVIEW

Words and images taken from Louis Vuitton Catwalk: The Complete Fashion Collections by Jo Ellison and Louise Rytter, published by Thames & Hudson, 2018