In 2019, Virgil Abloh said, “We might go to India or Kansas or Cuba, but wherever we go, the focus is youth: the stage in your life before you’ve been taught or programmed to do, think, or wear certain things. And in that study, you realize that teenagers on opposite sides of the world are dealing with the same things. It reflects the fact that, fundamentally, we are all one.”
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Yesterday, that unknown location became Bangkok, and his past philosophizing was realized in a spinoff show for the Fall/Winter 2022 collection. For his eighth chapter at Louis Vuitton, the late designer dreamed up a line that epitomized youth and would live on far beyond the younger years—far beyond his time, and far beyond ours.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
The spin-off show embraced many of Abloh’s iconic references over the years—from boyhood ideology and dreamhouses to music and cartoon characters. Special for the show, as well, was the creation of a 22-minute cinematic prelude by the director Sivaroj Kongsakul entitled I Dreamt of You. The story seen follows the filmmaker’s own self, yet many years ago, when he was 11 years old and living in rural Thailand. It epitomizes Abloh’s belief that youth is global, and childhood memories are forever effervescent.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
The set was centered around a dreamhouse flipped upside down, with instruments and clouds floating in the abyss. A cavelike dwelling with an opening was seen off in the distance, presenting models that walked through the dream adorned in the new collection.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Seen on the runway were looks that were previously presented five months ago in Paris, in addition to nine previously unseen looks that explored Abloh’s fundamental ideas through circular motifs. Here, the dreamhouse sat at the center, with a sun on a track traveled around the set, orbiting the people, the passages, and the dreamhouse planet.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Youth remained the center of focus, punctuated by several sustainable looks created by recycled materials, recycled ideas, and upcycled from previous storylines. Satin suits, sequinned sets, and accessories like flat-bill hats and sunglasses weren’t missed. Pleated dresses and flowing kaftans were genderless, representing nearly all fabrics in the collection; tie-dye pieces were seen as a recurring motif; monogrammed denim caught our attention next to shearling coats; cartoon graphics portrayed natural and supernatural forces; and the Japanese technique of Boro was used on a vintage-washed denim jacket and trousers. Panels and patchwork infiltrated several designs, with pajamas, skirts, jackets, and more embodying the spirit of the young, stylish, and free.
