LOUIS VUITTON merges the worlds of art and luxury with their latest collaboration, involving five contemporary artists and a new collection of silk scarves.
LV Art Silk Squares introduces artists from German pixel-art collective, eBoy; Franco-Japanese-Spanish design duo, Icinori; Italian artist and illustrator, Lorenzo Mattotti; French graphic novelist and illustrator, Nicolas de Crécy, and Swiss artist, Thomas Ott. All creatives reunite for another collaboration with the House, succeeding their previous work with Louis Vuitton and its Travel Book series.
For the LV Art Silk Square collaboration, all artists were briefed to investigate the flower contextualised in the realm of Louis Vuitton, reimagining the iconic Monogram and bringing to it their individual expressions.
LV Art Silk Square collaboration
The artworks proceeded to be printed onto silk squares in Como, Italy, with the finished product intended to be worn as a scarf in versatile ways or framed as an art piece.
This is not the first time Louis Vuitton has invited artists to use their scarves as a canvas as the silk square collection introduced the works of artists Arman, Sandro Chia, Arata Isozaki, Sol LeWitt and James Rosenquist back in 1987 under the collection title The Silk Road.
LV Art Silk Square collaboration
Amongst other collaborative LV scarf collections spanning the decades, the full collection of artist-designed silk squares is on show in LV Dream, an exhibition at the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris.
Maze of Precious marks the first scarf of the new collection, presenting an aesthetic distinguishably eBoy. The square depicts an LV logo at the centre of the scarf, with borders representing various fabric weaves from twill to satin. Pixellated geometric vegetation and geometric insects provide the square with playfulness.
LV Art Silk Square collaboration
Icinori’s square, titled Malles Monde, merges traditional technique and contemporary storytelling, with the duo creating a visually vibrant scarf, paying homage to the brand’s long-established history of trunk-making. The scarves depict malles flourishing with plant life, encapsulating everlasting regeneration.
As for Lorenzo Mattotti, the artist celebrates a flower located in the Art Nouveau-stained glass at the Vuitton family home. Iris Spring’s colourful visualisation illustrates an iris as the square centrepiece, surrounded by abundant trees.
LV Art Silk Square collaboration
Parfums de Méditerranée titles Nicolas de Crécy’s square, in which the artist depicts the gardens in Grasse, the home of all Louis Vuitton’s scents and blends. The square visualises mountains in the background and flowers at the forefront inspired by the celebrated Monogram.
LV Art Silk Square collaboration
The final square of the collection is titled Urban Flowers by Thomas Ott, which showcases Ott’s artistic technique of using scratchboards to present a black and white portrait. Urban Flowers hones into the artistic technique, demonstrating a monochromatic image of a body blossoming with flowers in an urban environment, communicating how nature can transform urban spaces as flowers symbolise the essence of humanity.
by Nicole Pereira