WHILE most brands have played musical chairs with their creative vision, Nicolas Ghesquière has remained firmly in the driving seat of Louis Vuitton womenswear. For autumn-winter 2024, the French designer celebrates a landmark moment with a decade at the helm and a collection that explores his design evolution.
Referencing his own intricacies, emotions and reflections, the idea of self-belief and trust weighed heavy on Ghesquière’s mind when creating. “It’s all about charting the right course, following one’s own North Star,” read the show notes. “It ensures the constancy of vocabulary compiled over ten years as the designer draws on his own intertextuality to explore different horizons”.
What he has managed to do so well is consistently capture timelessness. If you wear one of his designs, you won’t fall into the trap of being too on-trend or not at all. Prints, silhouettes and unusual cuts have become his bread and butter, and for a brand synonymous with travel, he has managed to create his own map of ideas that together have formed the Louis Vuitton look.
Beginning his homage, he invited over a thousand guests including store employees and managers, to Cour Carrée at the Louvre on the 5th March 2024 – creating a full-circle moment, presenting in the same place and on the same date as his debut collection in 2014. On a set conceived by Philippe Parreno and to the sound of Nicolas Becker, AW24 was a magnificent ode to the past, present and future.
Opening with a duo of white looks that took notes from AW20, there was an immediate understanding that there would be a contemporary return of hero pieces from Ghesquière’s archive. The regal jackets of SS18 were tweaked to close; the tiered, ruffle skirts of AW20 arrived in textured, glittering editions; and the grey, knitted dresses from AW15 made a brief re-entry into the LV sphere in a more sleek rendition.
Whilst it was nice to acknowledge the past, the designer didn’t forget about the promise for the new. Over-the-top fur gloves adorned most looks giving a nod to the season ahead, with an array of fur gilets, coats and shoulder cuffs reusing the fluff from AW17 proceeding to also acknowledge his knack for outerwear.
Beanies with pointy ears are going to be a clear seller, and bags came in a vast array of sizes, colours and House Monogram prints feeding into the history of leather.
Few, if any, get a chance to reference themselves for collections and it is the ultimate proof of having created an era at a House that extends past the brand’s name. Ghesquière has become synonymous with his decadence and generous design process, making statement items that have and will stand the test of time.
Having now said goodbye to the past ten years with a deserved standing ovation, the question of ‘what’s next’ brings an anticipation brimming with possibilities only Ghesquière can answer.
by Imogen Clark