Louis Vuitton unveils first chapter of Men’s Spring Summer 2021 collection

Instead of the traditional fashion calendar format, Louis Vuitton will showcase new seasonless shows at different locations across the globe – starting with Shanghai on August 6.

 

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#VirgilAbloh presents a new concept for his latest #LouisVuitton collection in lieu of the traditional fashion show format. The Men’s Artistic Director imagined a virtual and literal voyage across the globe starting at the Maison’s ancestral home in Asnières. Follow a colorful crew of animated characters hiding as stowaways and stay tuned for the collection’s next port of call in Shanghai this August. Directed by @virgilabloh Director of animation: Reggie Know (@fashionfigureinc) Music : Musical score by The SA-RA Creative Partners™ @saracreativepartnersinfo (@tazarnold, @shafiqhusayn & @ommaskeith) Featuring: @thundercatmusic, @terracemartin & @kamasiwashington Musical Direction by @_benjib & @virgilabloh

A post shared by Louis Vuitton Official (@louisvuitton) on Jul 10, 2020 at 5:30am PDT

Last Friday, July 10, Louis Vuitton unveiled the first chapter of its Men’s Spring Summer 2021 voyage with a short animated film presented on the Maison’s website and socials.

Dubbed “The Adventures of Zoooom with Friends”, the film hints at a virtual tour around the world to present men’s creative director Virgil Abloh’s fifth collection for the brand, titled “Message in a Bottle”. Instead of the traditional fashion calendar format, Louis Vuitton will showcase new seasonless shows at different locations across the globe – starting with Shanghai.

The film was released in conjunction with digital Paris Fashion Week last week, serving as a sneak preview of what to expect next month. It begins at the Maison’s ancestral home in Asnières, outside of Paris, where movers are shown packing up shipping containers. A motley crew of animated characters then takes over, boarding the barge along with the shipping containers and sailing along the Seine River into the sun.

This marks the beginning of a voyage that will demonstrate Abloh’s core values of diversity, inclusivity and unity by meeting clients in their own parts of the world. Along the way, new destinations may be added – transforming the collection in an “evolving exchange across cultures and nations.”

Once the ship arrives in Shanghai on August 6, “Zoooom with Friends” will come to life in the collection, which continues to explore Abloh’s theme of boyhood. The collection also highlights four methods of upcycling, including new looks made from recycled materials; looks repeated from the Fall-Winter 2020 collection; looks recreated by the brand’s studio using recycled materials; and new looks created from existing ideas.

Following Shanghai’s show, the voyage will embark for Tokyo, with the official schedule to be announced in due time.

Watch the full film above and keep your eyes peeled on this space for updates when the full collection is unveiled. Visit the official website here for more details.

Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton