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| A view of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul in southern Seoul, which presents the French luxury fashion house's latest collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama / Courtesy of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul |
By Park Han-sol
A seemingly endless constellation of multihued polka dots speckles the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul in Gangnam District, southern Seoul ― from the flagship store's floor and walls to outfits donned by sleek mannequins.
The dotty eye-dazzling explosion and chromatic orbs are a nod to the French luxury fashion house's latest collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
The collection comes a decade after the brand's initial collaboration with the 93-year-old, who has achieved global stardom with her signature polka-dotted art and "ever-expanding" mirrored rooms.
The sheer size of the collection is as extensive as Kusama's art itself.
Among more than 400 items of Louis Vuitton merchandise for both men and women ― jackets, skirts, pants, bags, hats, eyewear, sneakers, watches and other accessories ― the highlights are displayed throughout the Seoul store.
These include the Japanese artist's colorful reimagining of men's trainer sneakers, the Keepall duffle bags, as well as women's handbags like Pochette Accessoires and OnTheGo PM.
Along with the clothing line, three types of Louis Vuitton fragrances have been added with a touch of Kusama: Attrape-Reves, Spell on You and L'Immensite. The perfume's packages, bottles and travel cases are all stamped in the creator's iconic motifs of spots, flowers and pumpkins.
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| A view of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul, which presents French luxury fashion house's latest collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama / Courtesy of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul |
With a few exceptions, the items on display are focused on bringing Kusama's polka dot oeuvre to life. The second batch of merchandise featuring more of her signature pumpkin imagery will be rolled out at the end of March.
It was around the age of 10 when the artist started experiencing vivid hallucinations and flashes of light. She eventually began to transfer these visuals seared into her memory onto canvas, sculptures and walls in the form of repetitive dots. Pumpkins, among other natural components, became a source of relief from her obsessive thoughts, and one means by which she could reach a state of what she called "self-obliteration."
To mark the release of its new collaboration, the French fashion giant has also plastered one section of Incheon International Airport with yellow, polka-dotted installations.
In addition to Kusama, Louis Vuitton's recent collaboration with contemporary artists includes the 2022 limited-edition Artycapucines bag collection, in which six renowned creators were given free rein to add their designs to the brand's Capucines handbags.
Among them was Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) master Park Seo-bo, who became the first Korean artist to be part of the project. The design of Park's bag featured an original 2016 painting from his decades-long signature "Ecriture" series ― specifically, the latest stage called "color-Ecriture."
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