Surreal Faces and FLORAL FORAYS

The second release of Louis Vuitton's collaborative collection with Yayoi Kusama delves further into the hypnotically hallucinogenic mind of the legendary artist in a retrospective tribute to her works

- SANJEEVA SURESH

If Louis Vuitton’s goal was to get people talking then they certainly delivered. The Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collection is everywhere. From a giant inflatable Kusama looming over the Louis Vuitton flagship store at Paris’ Champs-Élysées and London’s Harrods to animatronic window displays, anamorphic billboards and numerous pop-up installations across the globe. Audacious and perhaps ‘invasive’ as it may seem, it worked – social media has been alight with visitors attending interactive exhibitions, drawing a wider audience back to the brand. Plus the ‘omnipresent’ nature of the signature spotted motif further mirrors what goes on in the mind of Kusama—the overwhelming sense of obliteration by repetition which has resulted in artistic magic.

As much as their marketing strategies may have divided fans and critics alike, the numbers speak for themselves. Luxury giant LVMH recently announced that Louis Vuitton had an “excellent start” to 2023 with LVMH shares rising by 23 percent since the start of the year. The luxury conglomerate went on to state that revenues had increased by 17 percent in the first quarter which has been attributed partially to a raising demand for leather goods.