For the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2021 collection, Nicolas Ghesquière minded travel and settled on mythology, partly as a way to explore different representations of femininity: Diana synonymous with conquest, Minerva with science, and Venus with seduction, for example.
Ghesquière made a runway of the Louvre’s wing, his models mingling with ancient Roman, Greek, and Etruscan sculptures to the tunes of Daft Punk’s mega-hit “Around the World” – Ghesquière commissioned the custom mix of Daft Punk songs before the band revealed its dissolution.
He also divined a collaboration with the Italian design atelier Fornasetti, and its famous hand-drawn faces of women from antiquity peered out from all manner of clothes and leather goods. Founded by Piero Fornasetti in 1940, the Italian artistic design atelier is notoriously known for contemporary reinterpretations of mythological icons.
Ghesquière mined the Fornasetti archives to choose the motifs splashed across ready-to-wear and accessories alike. The prints appeared embossed on leather top-handle totes, woven into oversized cocoon coats, and peaking out of the lapels of jackets. The Roman nod was further emphasised with the final three looks, with frayed-hem dresses and lace-up sandals that paid homage to the Gladiators. “With this collaboration, I wanted to use the pieces to evoke the continuing modernity of Fornasetti’s artistic world”, Ghesquière said. “Fornasetti’s enduring body of work is the realisation of a remarkable hand-drawn technique and magical take on the world, and I am particularly drawn to the way Fornasetti re-explored and reworked the heritage of classicism and ancient Rome, adding new references to historical imagery”.
The collection explores volumes and layering, creating eye-catching looks that combine signature LV elements with historical references. It is also a collection filled with contrasts, too, as long tulle skirts are paired with bomber-style jackets and chunky boots, and oversized coats paired with printed mini dresses. Set against the backdrop of the Louvre’s incredible collection, the show combined art and fashion in a way that only Louis Vuitton can do – combining the past and future. As for the bags, pieces were clad in Fornasetti’s eclectic drawings, and the new silhouette arrived in colorful crocodile-inspired material in colors like blue, purple and yellow.