Louis Vuitton’s SS23 collection is a heartfelt tribute towards the genius of Virgil Abloh.
“Long Live Virgil” chanted Kendrick Lamar whilst performing at Louis Vuitton’s SS23 show, paying an homage to the late designer, and his immense creativity, talent, and kind spirit.
Opening with ”The Marching 100”, a Tallahassee marching band, the spectacle activated a celebration of Virgil Abloh’s legacy, a universe filled with joy and colour, transporting the audience into childhood, with the set reminiscent of a children’s board game, one of the signature elements that defined Abloh’s stroke of genius and kindness together. The collection featured all of Virgil’s signature elements - paper-like hats topped onto lavender, fastened with daisies as buttons, colourful oversized chains and belts with play elements attached towards the end. Within the Virgil Abloh universe, there was untainted curiosity about who you want to be in life, and the power possessed through that empowerment being the tie that binds us all together.
The Louis Vuitton design collective also brought forward the archetypes, created at his time at the Maison - the reimagined silver LV embossed briefcase, the fluidly sharp tailoring, cinching at the waist with a touch of colour and the colourfully open references to imagining your true self through light cobalt pleated skirts, layered tulle, finishing off with the blossoming gardens - a symbol of Virgil’s endless talent and imagination.
The finale oversaw the Louis Vuitton design collective marching out amongst layers of rainbow coloured organza floating on the catwalk, nodding to the designer’s very first Louis Vuitton show 4 years ago where he imagined the rainbow runway of dreams. The deeply touching collection transported us away from the logistics, making us reach within and reflect on how Virgil truly transported dreamers to walk down life with creative thoughtfulness and endless imagination, never forgetting the inner child within.
