We have all seen and loved Louis Vuitton Capucines in various avatars before; right from the rare croc leather capucine or the ones with contrasting trims, or a timeless canary yellow capucine, we have gawked at them with all our love. The LV Capucines is now getting an artistic makeover thanks to the coming together of six internationally celebrated artists who continue the saga of the metamorphosis of this iconic accessory by amalgamating contemporary art, fashion, and craftsmanship. The Louis Vuitton Artycapucines collection showcases capucines as imagined and executed by Beatriz Milhhazes, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Josh Smith, Henry Taylor, Liu Wei, and Zhao Zhao. Beatriz Milhazes goes technically brilliant as she juxtaposes 18 different types of leather on the bag’s lambskin base using innovative marquetry techniques. Jean-Michel Othoniel brings us the capucine intricately hand-woven in raffia topped with a hand-embroidered satin silk trim perfectly complemented by a handle made of large black resin beads. New York-based artist Josh Smith’s Capucine is based upon one of his signature “name” paintings. The bag’s cotton exterior plays canvas with the artist’s name emblazoned across the entire bag. The LV signature is in metal inlaid with wood, while the handle is made of pure pearwood. Artist Henry Taylor’s Artycapucines pays homage to one of his close friend Noah Davis, the late American painter and installation artist via a striking portrait. The results were achieved after several experiments and testing different methods of 2D and 3D printing. Beijing-based artist Liu Wei based his Louis Vuitton Capucine upon Microworld, a large-scale sculptural installation shown at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The bag shows different types of silver-hued leathers thermo-molded and inserted directly onto the bags exterior or fastened with spherical screws and Louis Vuitton-engraved rivets. This creation of LV capucine surely stands out from the rest with a futuristic vibe thanks to the use of unusual materials.
Last but not least is Chinese artist Zhao Zhao’s Artycapucines displaying over three hundred laser-cut parts sewn together into an elegant, reflective composition. From the 30th of October, each bag in the Artycapucines collection will be released in a limited edition of 200 in selected stores worldwide.
