What’s Next for Louis Vuitton?
Image Courtesy: DAMAN
Embracing your inner child has been in for a while, and now that concept is reflected in today’s fashion. Who should we so graciously thank for this? His name is Colm Dillane, Louis Vuitton’s latest guest designer. His presentation on January 19th has proven that the designer has a “Blurry Vision of a Bright Future,” words that are displayed on one of the suits from the collection.
The recent collection has continued to push boundaries creatively, becoming one of the most talked-about shows of the year so far. The show has a star-studded guest list, as well as singer Rosalía performing some of her ‘Motomami’ tracks to complement the visuals. The set displayed a room, showing the transition from boy to man, with models strutting through and interacting with toys and other items in the room. The vibes were reminiscent of those when the late Virgil Abloh was Louis Vuitton’s creative director for menswear.
Abloh’s creativity was anything but mundane, as he was the apex of luxury fashion who pushed the limits of typical menswear at Louis Vuitton. His best example of this is Louis Vuitton AW22, his final collection for them. That collection demonstrated what Abloh called ‘Boyhood Ideology,’ a concept of the “unspoiled outlook of a child, who is yet to be affected by the preconceived ideas of society.” The collection’s exuberant display of contemporary streetwear seems to have been the inspiration for Dillane. If this continues to be Louis Vuitton’s image for menswear post-Virgil, the brand is in great hands. The question that arises now is, who is Colm Dillane?
Colm Dillane is an NYC-based designer and the founder of Kid Super. Starting his own brand at 14 screenprinting t-shirts called BTOS, or ‘Brick Oven T-Shirts,’ is where Kid Super was born. His doodle-esque artwork has proven itself time and time again as the cult label only continues to grow exponentially. The brand brings Dillane’s imagination and art to life, a possible ode to his mother, an ex-artist. It’s pretty obvious that the art gene has been passed down to Dillane.
While other LVMH brands, such as Christian Dior and Fendi, have had guest designers before, Dillane was Louis Vuitton’s first. However, the brand is no stranger to collaborations with streetwear. Supreme and Off-White have made their mark on Louis Vuitton with their partnerships and are deemed classics to any hype beast you ask. In 2021, Dillane won LVMH’s ‘Special Prize,’ setting him apart from the rest and paving the way for this opportunity.
LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton, has hit record-breaking levels this past year. In the 2022 press release, the luxury group has racked up 21.1 billion euros in profit under the Fashion and Leather Goods category. This follows a profit growth of 23% from the year before. A good reason for this is the post-pandemic traveling we all gave into this past year, with significant increases from the United States, Europe, and Japan, respectively. The increases in the brands' appeal could also be attributed, even with the current recession the US has been subjected to in recent years.
Looking forward, many fashion girlies (such as myself) are going to keep a close eye on Louis Vuitton after this menswear collection drops. We all hope the brand will continue to keep this playful energy surrounding it and its newest pieces. The collection has brought a new meaning to what “Fashion is Art” means. As for Colm Dillane, we would love to see the torch be passed down to him in succession to Virgil Abloh’s beautiful work and ‘Boyhood Ideology.’ There’s no one I’d rather see inherit that title.
Strike Out,
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret
Boca Raton
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret is the Senior Editor for Strike Magazine Boca. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to sad music, doing some retail therapy, and eating pasta. You can reach her at emily.fiorini710@gmail.com
