Louis Vuitton's limited editions inspired by Stephen Sprouse

One of the 1980s' hottest designers, Stephen Sprouse was famed for his use of day-glo colours and graffiti, mixing sixties pop and seventies punk to create a look that had fashion fans clamouring for more. He designed clothes for Debbie Harry, Duran Duran and Billy Idol, who loved his signature combination of luxury fabrics with urban elements.

In 2001 he teamed up with a youthful Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton to create a line of graffiti-strewn bags that sold out instantly and propelled him back onto the fashion radar. Tragically Stephen died in 2004 of lung cancer, and next year sees a trio of tributes to his life and work; on January 8th the Stephen Sprouse retrospective opens at Deitch Projects in New York; February sees the release of 'The Stephen Sprouse Book', a new biography of the designer; and on January 9th Louis Vuitton is set to launch a new capsule collection designed by Marc Jacobs in homage to the designer.

The use of both day-glo colours and grafitti naturally feature heavily in the range, which is perfect mix of high fashion and street culture. Sure to sell out fast are the eye-popping black leggings emblazoned with neon green writing and the matching monogrammed bag, plus the high-top trainers with gold velcro straps. Louis Vuitton is also launching a website in conjunction with the range, www.welovesprouse.com, which will feature interviews with the designer's friends including Debbie Harry and Patricia Field as well as, in a continuation of the graffiti theme, a 'scrawl-wall' where users will be able to leave their comments. The site is set to go online on December 15th.

By Emma Sells

Posted 1 December 2008