For the Fall-Winter 2023 Pre-Collection, the Louis Vuitton Studio Prêt-à-Porter Homme illustrates this transition through the metaphor of the desert race. One of the most challenging competitions on the planet, the motorsport attracts an eccentric multi-cultural cast of daredevils, who gather to brave the unpredictable terrain of the barren wasteland and its mirages before reaching the luxuriance of the oasis.
Adaptation is the mantra of the modern age. In the face of changing conditions, we weather the storms by leaning one another and collectively adapting to new circumstances. An extreme exercise in adaptation, desert racing serves as an image of the diverse characters, community spirit and collective creation that drive the Louis Vuitton Studio Prêt-à-Porter Homme.
The collection is comprised of two chapters: the Desert and the Mirage.
The Desert
The desert race motif unfolds in a complete wardrobe adaptable to urban and recreational dress codes. Tailoring and technical pieces
created in lightweight, water-proof ripstop nylon set an energetic but elegant tone for the collection: zip-adorned trousers and tops transform into shorts and short-sleeved shirts with hoods that can be hidden or exposed according to occasion.
The archetypes of outerwear undergo adaptation in form and fabrication: the saharienne takes centre stage styled over cocktail pyjamas with a grid logo print that evokes check; a bomber jacket morphs with a varsity jacket and manifests in beige leather with logos; a motorcycle jacket marries a souvenir jacket in fleece and leather; and a logo-embellished sponsor jacket gets sponsored by Louis Vuitton.
The Maison’s signatures are treated with figurative desert techniques. Embossed on a suede shirt, the monogram resembles sand. A sand-strewn LV logo is emblazoned across silk and poplin shirts.
On denim, the monogram appears discoloured by the scorching desert sun. Tailored jackets, bombers, hoodies and knitwear are printed with a trompe l’œil crumbled paper motif evoking an aerial view of sand dunes. And the SpeakerMan – first featured as a look in the Louis Vuitton Men’s Show in June 2023 – transforms into a new animated mascot for the collection interpreted in a jacquard blouson and as a print on silk-blend shirts.
Shoes adapt to the eccentricity of the desert race wardrobe in a new version of the Sk8te encrusted with crystal and trimmed with distressed denim,
and in a creeper-cut interpretation of the moulure- adorned Le Baroque. The Shark clog, the XL trainer, and the Tatic sneaker all appear in new colourways. Bags feature a new Spotlight motif in which the Louis Vuitton flower monogram is seen through a kaleidoscopic broken-down colour spectrum rendered across sporty shapes including a new Meteor travel bag, a new Comet backpack, and a new Comet messenger as well as small leather goods and logo-buckle belts. Jewellery manifests in pop colours and includes stackable logo rings as well as palladium and crystal charm necklaces and bracelets with the flower logo. Finally, the lightweight LV 4Motion sunglasses with adjustable technical elements appear with mirrored blue lenses.
