Imagine being able to fully immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Louis Vuitton. Not just in the label’s luxury pieces or its high-impact catwalk shows, but in its history and the intricate inner workings of creative director Nicholas Ghesquière and his design team.
Well, get ready. This month London will play host to Series 3, the third in a run of travelling exhibitions designed to give an in-depth insight into the fashion house and what really makes it tick.
The chosen venue? Not an up-market gallery or perfectly designed store but 180 The Strand, a brutalist, concrete former office block in central London.
Spread across three floors and 13 rooms, the exhibition will centre around the autumn/winter 2015 collection in all its futuristic, high-tech glory and will track different journeys, be that of a collection’s concept through to its catwalk iteration or the personal journeys of the big-hitting models as they made their way to the Paris Fashion Week show.
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This won’t be a run-of-the-mill fashion exhibition; Ghesquière and his team are mining the most innovative light, sound and digital technology to really bring the displays to life.
Example? There’s the Magic Malle room with its giant LV trunk (meant to represent Ghesquière’s brain), filled with LED lights and projecting images of sketches, designs, ideas and inspirations onto the walls; the Infinite Show, a room filled with 25 double-sided LED screens that will continuously play each of the 50 catwalk looks from the a/w 2015 collection; The Savoir Faire lab where you’ll be able to watch some of the house’s most talented and expert artisans at work as they craft pieces; and a room filled with life-sized 3D printed figures, made from scans of model Marte Mei van Haaster, which will be used to showcase the history of Louis Vuitton accessories.
Naturally you’ll be feeling inspired to shop by the time you’ve finished. As luck would have it, a T-shirt, scarf and three bag shapes, all printed with the Series 3 logo and unveiled on this season’s catwalk, will be available to buy in Louis Vuitton stores this month too. Louis Vuitton Series 3, from 21 September to 18 October at 180 Strand, London. Open 10am – 8pm daily.
