PHOTO: Punk and Pop Art Shaking Luxury Fashion

After it launched a capsule collection of handbags in cooperation with Rei Kawakubo, the luxury French fashion company Louis Vuitton will on January 15 launch its latest edition. The creative director of the company, Marc Jacobs, designed a new collection using sophisticated punk and pop art works by the late American fashion designer and painter Stephen Sprouse.

Stephen was one of the first people that tore down the borders between fashion, art, music and design. His clothes were worn for public appearances by: Debbie Harry, Duran Duran, Billy Idol and many more. Jacobs took something iconic and valued and created something new, rebellious – punk, just like Sprouse himself liked. The head of the French synonym for luxury even appeared personally in the campaign for the limited edition collection and thus honoured the legendary artist, completely nude and painted with pink graffiti.

- He elevated the idea of what was street-wear into something that was considered high fashion. He worked with the finest fabrics and had beautiful workmanship and he did things that were not based on cost or commerciality. He did things that were based on pure aesthetic and expression of an idea. I did my best in a very first-degree way, to imitate what I think Stephen would have done or has done in terms of fashion. I tried to use the things in Stephen’s vocabulary and give it the shape, silhouette and styling that Stephen would have done when he was at the top of his game in fashion designing. It really is a complete homage and a complete combination of what is Louis Vuitton and what is this legendary icon and what are the icons and the lasting aesthetics that Stephen left in the fashion world – Jacobs said in the video Marc Jacobs about His Collection that Pays Homage to Stephen Sprouse.

Over the iconic LV signature, Jacobs put graffiti and roses, the recognisable motifs of the artist who died of lung cancer in 2004. As a sign of loyalty to Sprouse’s work, Louis Vuitton will donate all the proceeds into the Stephen Sprouse scholarship fund that was founded by the National Academy of Design.

Apart from on Keepall, Speedy and Neverfull bags, the designs will also be found on high trainers, high heeled shoes, sunglasses, scarves, jeans, dresses, tights, skateboards and so on. See the photo gallery New Louis Vuitton Collection in Style of 1980's.