On the Flower Trail

Twenty years after their first collaboration, Louis Vuitton and renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami reunite for a vibrant re-edition collection, blending art and fashion in a bold celebration of creativity and craftsmanship

- By Hashirin Nurin Hashimi

When it was first introduced in the early noughties, the collaboration between Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton was nothing short of revolutionary—and often credited for reshaping the fashion world and setting a new precedent for artist and brand partnerships. Two decades later, the behemoths of contemporary art and fashion are reuniting with a re-edition of the groundbreaking collaboration, which combined the Japanese artist's vibrant, playful art with the French maison's iconic luxury status. The Louis Vuitton x Murakami re-edition collection highlights the timeless appeal of the original collaboration, which was the brainchild of Marc Jacobs, the then-artistic director of the maison, who presented the collection of bags and accessories as part of its spring-summer 2003 offerings. Murakami, known for his bold and colourful pop art-inspired style, infused Louis Vuitton's classic monogram canvas with 33 different colours set against a white or black background, transforming the iconic pattern into the Monogram Multicolore—and it became an instant hit.

This colourful reinterpretation of the brand's heritage was more than just a visual update—it was a cultural statement, reflecting the blending of luxury with contemporary art and street culture.

“Looking back now, I really feel there was various significance but, at the time, I had no idea what kind of brand Louis Vuitton really was, and I didn't understand the impact of changing the products' classic base colour to pure white, for instance,” Murakami notes. “But now, I can see that changing something purely chic into something colourful really made a big impact.”