LOUIS VUITTON (Men) Spring/Summer 2016

June 27, 2015

By Marcellous L. Jones

Photos Courtesy of Louis Vuitton Malletier

Paris, France – At Louis Vuitton this season, designer Kim Jones invokes images of Thailand’s Lahu tribe and of the Ivy League schools on the U.S. East Coast. Though far different on the surface, Jones has found common ground among them. And though very different, both have traditional dress codes that are now translated into an elegant and travel-wise display for Spring/Summer 2016.

Jones, who is more specifically the Men’s Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton, stated, “Rather than look at one destination, this season I decided to look at travelling the world. Now the world traveller picks things up wherever he goes and makes them his own.

In the collection we find suit elements broken apart and re-styled with silk-satin windbreakers, bowling shirts, and pullovers. The top half of the silhouette is decorated with imagery featuring tropical birds and florals. The trousers are cut semi-baggy and the shorts fall well above the knees. And the color palette is dominated by blue with fierce pops of red!

“In this collection we are using many ideas and techniques from South East Asia, from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. At the same time, we wanted to look at how those styles share so much globally; say how the traditional dress of the Lahu tribe in Thailand looks so much like contemporary sportswear. Fashion is a language that reflects different cultures and tribes globally from New York, Tokyo, Bangkok and Paris – and Louis Vuitton is really a part of that.”

Naturally the Louis Vuitton collection features lots of accessories including shoes, sandals, eyewear, scarves and belts. But the most refreshing part of this is that only a minority of the bags is covered in the iconic Louis Vuitton plaid logo. The move to show these pieces without the logos demonstrates that the house is confident of the full range of tastes of the Louis Vuitton client.