NASA maps of the world from space and the Nazca Lines in Peru provided inspiration for Louis Vuitton Homme’s autumn/winter 2014-15 collection.
Even the surface of the catwalk was painted by hand to resemble an aerial photograph of the Atacama Desert.
Louis Vuitton men’s style director Kim Jones translated this digital view from above into a linear collection featuring wide stripes in shades of blue and earthy tones that melded as naturally as they do in the ocean and desert. The use of the word ‘linear’ on this occasion refers to the use of lines throughout, not by its other definition meaning ‘narrow’. In contrast, this collection has extreme breadth and depth in terms of colour sensibility, silhouette and attention to detail.
This theme as well as the spirit of luxury adventure is continuous throughout the collection. A development of the Peruvian scarf motif appears on scarves and blankets, while the Damier check, Louis Vuitton’s classic motif, is used to create a woven tonal detail and appliquéd onto knitwear as a pattern formed by Aztec-style snakes made of sliced stone. Wool from the huarizo, an alpaca-llama crossbred, is used to create heavy looking pieces that are light to wear. The scarves are made from silk twill with subtle chevrons and stripes, and a take on the South American herringbone. The sunglasses have adjustable arms and are designed to be truly practical.
Jones has also given the Damier a makeover in French navy. Models carried the new Damier Cobalt bags – including Keepall, totes, messenger and folio styles – during the runway show on January 17.
“I always think of midnight blue as being very Parisian,” Jones says. “I wanted to re-develop the Damier in some way, and for me this was the most logical. It fits with my passion for colour, but it’s also discrete enough to be appropriate for business.”
