Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie all had it, paired perfectly with their Juicy Couture velour tracksuits. With the help of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, Louis Vuitton’s Multicolor handbags became the must-have accessory of 2003. Murakami’s take on the brand’s signature was stamped across wallets, duffles and handbags. The accessories went on to define an era where Newlyweds reigned on reality TV and Paris and Nicole remained bffs.
The collection was first released back when Marc Jacobs still helmed Louis Vuitton. In his time, Marc also teed up collaborations with Yayoi Kusama, Richard Prince and Julie Verhoeven. Nicolas Ghesquière has since taken over the label, which is now discontinuing the multicolor print and focusing once more on the logo’s original warm tan coloring.
This isn’t all bad news. Murakami’s ties to the fashion world certainly haven’t been severed. Just last month the Japanese artist teamed up with Vans to drop a collection of shoes, tees and skateboards. Speaking with i-D, Murakami described his latest experience as much more laid-back than the last “At Louis Vuitton, with Marc Jacobs, we communicated over email, I sent Marc 70 or 80, images, and he chose one or two… but this time Vans said yes to everything!”
Credits
Text Isabelle Hellyer
Photography courtesy Louis Vuitton