Louis Vuitton would be entering an expanded partnership with the Keith Haring Foundation, which would lead to a collection rolled out globally from January 1, according to WWD. A capsule of 13 designs showcasing Keith Haring's work and characters will first be presented at Art Basel Paris, whose exhibition space opens to the public on October 23.
The house's workshops reproduced the artist's graffiti motifs on a selection of Capucines bags, combining leather marquetry and laser printing. On the evening clutch featuring the work « Running Heart », dated 1984, more than 12,000 crystals cover the surface. The Capucines BB Holiday bag, in calfskin inlaid with ostrich and precious karung, meanwhile bears a motif of dolphins swimming with humans, in pink and bright blue.
The collaboration is rooted in an original vintage suitcase, whose patina was digitally scanned and then printed onto a Capucines MM Genesis bag and a mini shoulder trunk, the Valisette Genesis. Louis Vuitton described this motif as a symbol of birth, hope and life's infinite potential, transforming, according to the house, an already exceptional object into a unique work of art and a rare testament to New York's cultural effervescence of the 1980s.
This object had already been staged by Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women's ready-to-wear at Louis Vuitton, at the opening of the 2027 Cruise show in New York in May, where a model carried the original suitcase. Presented at the Frick Collection, this show also featured Haring's work across several garments, as well as a minaudière shaped like a takeout noodle box featuring the « Statue of Liberty » and « Big Apple » motifs, included in look 17.
The high-end bags will be sold in a selection of Louis Vuitton boutiques, alongside a wider Haring-inspired collection comprising ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories, which will be unveiled later in the year.
