Written by Guest Blogger Adrien Book
Yayoi Kusama is renowned throughout the world for her repetitive, rhythmic, and even hypnotic work with polka dot patterns. Throughout the years, she has assiduously covered paintings, drawings, sculptures, films and performances, creating gigantic installations where, in an attempt to share her psychological traumas and fears, she immerses the viewer in her obsessive vision of endless dots and nets or infinitely mirrored space. This year however, Kusama’s polka dots will also be covering some of the most fashionable items in the world: following a trip to Tokyo where he met the artist, Marc Jacobs decided to celebrate Kusama’s unique style in an extensive collection named “Infinity Dots collection” for the Louis Vuitton label.
This might seem like a natural following to Louis Vuitton’s past collaboration with artists such as Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami. Jacobs has been restless this past view months, as he recently released a new beauty line and a new fragrance, the fittingly named ‘Dot’. He stated that the “Infinity Dot Collection” “continues the idea of art and collaboration, or collaboration with artists. For many people who don’t look at art or go to galleries, or maybe they’re not aware of Kusama’s work, there will be a new venue, a new place to see this work and to come to appreciate it through the eyes of Louis Vuitton.”
The first part of the collection (named “Infinitely Kusama”), consisting of pyjamas, trench coats and jewellery will be available in Vuitton’s 461 stores starting July 11, a day prior to the opening of the artist’s retrospective at New York’s Whitney museum. Monogram leather goods will be the centre of a second line, arriving in October. In many ways, this collection has a strong connection with Louis Vuitton’s previous collections, as the brand is not much different from Kusama’s work in the way it splashes its logo across each bag: the highly visual designs cover every item with a beautiful, cheerful touch to achieve the same classy allures the brand has become renowned for.
Simple combos and intuitive contrasts are the proven recipe for success, and this is what Jacobs went for: highlighted to various degrees, the fun repetitive pattern can be used for both making a statement without compromising the integrity of the outfit. It also leaves enough space for freedom and versatility. High-quality, fun and cuteness is a recipe for instant popularity, and we can definitely expect to see coloured dots becoming a common sight on the high street and on cat-walks in the near future.
see more at louisvuittonkusama.com
