Everything You Need to Know About Louis Vuitton’s Latest Artycapucines Collection

Over the years Louis Vuitton’s artist collaborations have come to be as iconic as the house’s Monogram design. From Takashi Murakami’s Multicolore Monogram print, now synonymous with early 2000s fashion, to Stephen Sprouse’s Graffiti Monogram design, popular amongst celebrities to this day, Vuitton knows how to nail an artist collab.

And it looks like the french luxury fashion house is not putting away its paint brushes anytime soon. Louis Vuitton’s second iteration of the Artycapucines collection sees six new artists from around the world give their take on LV’s revered Capucines bag. The new designs are available to pre-order now and will hit selected stores worldwide on 30th October.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

With just 200 bags of each design being produced, this extremely limited edition collection sees the Capucines bag reimagined in a plethora of materials and textures. From refined vibrant hues to structured retro-fururistic creations, here we detail every new look.

The New Artycapucines Collection

Henry Taylor’s Homage to A Friend

Californian painter Henry Taylor’s offering is one of the most striking designs from the Artycapucines collection. His bag features a portrait of his friend, the late American painter and installation artist, Noah Davis. The painting named ‘A Young Master’ appears on a light mocha colored background. The light brown hue is offset by the bag’s white top-handle, flap closure and interlocking LV logo.

Taylor’s work has been carefully reproduced on the Capucines’ leather body to replicate the painting’s original brushstrokes.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Jean-Michel Othoniel’s Summer Basket Design

French sculptor Jean-Michel Othoniel’s interpretation of the iconic LV design comes in the form of a high fashion summer basket bag. It’s perfect for those missing the hot summer months spent carrying picnic baskets and wicker beach bags.

The main body of the bag is made of raffia material and finished with a black satin silk trim. The top-handle consists of large resin beads reminiscent of one of Othoniel’s most well-known works used as the entrance to the Palais Royal metro station in Paris. Resin beads also feature on a bag charm. The resulting look is simultaneously sleek yet grandiose.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Beatriz Milhazes’ Hypnotic Hues

Beatriz Milhazes’ mesmerizing mix of circular and brightly colored shapes has the power to hypnotize art and fashion lovers alike. A series of interlocking circles in a myriad of colors and textures stand out against a white backdrop. This Capucines features a rich fuchsia gel finish on the bag’s trim and top-handle. Gel also features on a peace sign included in the design and on part of the LV emblem at the centre of the Capucines style.

Her design’s chromatic aesthetic matches the style of her paintings which are inspired by the vibrant hues of her native Brazil.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Liu Wei’s Structural Masterpiece

Chinese artist Liu Wei’s interest in geometric architectural forms translates into his take on the LV Capucines. Louis Vuitton describes his bag as a “sculptural creation” which incorporates different types of silver leathers. The black body of the bag acts as a backdrop to enhance the sleek and structured configuration of the silver leather. These pieces of leather are fixed onto the bag using Louis Vuitton-engraved rivets. Rivets also appear around the base of the bag’s black Plexiglas top handle.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Josh Smith’s Very Personal Design

It’s clear New York-based abstract painter Josh Smith wants luxury fashion lovers to remember his name. Best known for his oil paintings featuring just this, there is no confusion over which design is the painter’s take on LV’s iconic bag – it quite literally spells it out!

Smith recreates two of his famous expressionistic paintings, one on the bag’s exterior and another on the bag’s inner lining. In a statement he said, “I can imagine two people meeting for cocktails and my name becoming a conversation starter, like, ‘What’s that on your bag?’”

The painter’s vivid color palette befits the sophisticated style of the Capucines bag. Red, deep fuchsia, plum purple and light teal combine to create a fanciful design.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

Zhao Zhao’ Striking Marble-like Finish

The striking motif of Chinese artist Zhao Zhao’s Capucines design is almost akin to a cow-print pattern. The intricate design is made of a collage of over three hundred bits of leather in varying brown hues mixed with black, white and navy. Five leathers of differing textures are used. The design features all over the bag including the flap and top-handle and the bag is finished with a rich gold colored LV logo at its centre.

The memorable pattern was inspired by Zhao Zhao’s ‘In Extremis No.3’ sculpture which has an almost polished marble look. This translates to his Capucines bag.