CONTEMPORARY DRESSING
DAMAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR PAUL DELA MERCED REPORTS FROM SINGAPORE ON LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S PRE-COLLECTION SPRING-SUMMER 2020 BY VIRGIL ABLOH
Virgil Abloh has held the off ice of Men’s Artistic Director at L ouis Vuitton for almost a y ear now. His appointment was heavil y celebrated on the one hand, and questio ned on the other. Nine months, three runway collections and two pre- collections later, Virgil Abloh has proven his naysayers wrong.
In an inter view with WWD in Januar y, Louis Vuitton Chief Ex ecutive Officer Michael Burke said that Ablo h’s Louis Vuitton debut col lection generated 30 percent more sales within 48 hours compared to when the br and did its famous collaborative collection with S upreme.
Louis Vuitton has also stea dily attracted the attention of r ich teens, according to the October 2019 report by investment banking company Piper Jaffray. The French brand rose to the top of the Gen Z mar ket in the U. S. where 14 percent of teens named L ouis Vuitton as their fav orite handbag label— a substantial improvement for it r anked third in Piper Jaffray's spring 2019 sur vey.
Ultimately, according to the Gar tner L2 Luxury China Index, Louis Vuitton is now the top luxur y brand in China, thanks to its strong focus on younger consumers and streetwear.
And if Virgil Abloh’s Men’s PreCollection Spring- Summer 2020 is an y indication, there’s no stopping the fashio n giant’s success. There are 4 predominant themes in Abloh’s new offering. Aimed to dress the “contemporary global dresser,” his Spring- Summer pre- collection marries Louis Vuitton’s unparalleled savoir- faire and the mood of toda y’s youth.
Color Blocking
Virgil Abloh revisits Louis Vuitton’s usage of color in the ’ 90s by injecting pr imary colors in the usual ly conventional bags. Vivid colors of green, blue, yellow and red are painted
“The SpringSummer 2020 precollection marries Louis Vuitton’s unparalleled savoir- faire and the mood of today’s youth”
on waterproof epi leathers of the Keepal l Bandoulière 50, Christopher PM and S oft Box bags. The color c lash is so pla yful it wil l remind you of c hildren’s toys.
Translucent Whites
Translucent LV 408 S neakers and bags made from highly resistant transparent PVC and Optic White leather are undeniably the key pieces from this pre- collection. Abloh understands the demand f or standout products by the Instagr am generation.
Renaissance Chic
Abloh continues his fashio n experimentation by mixing French and Italian fashio n influences. Inspired by the ico nic paintings of Raphael, notable gar ments in this tr ansseasonal range include coats, vests and jackets in elegant painter ly prints. High contrast wood grain prints and ja cquard motifs— yes, the o ne usually found on Persian rugs and c arpets— also made it into the mix.
Chain Reaction
Edgy monochrome pieces with c hain details comprise most of Ablo h’s Spring- Summer 2020 pre- collection. Heavy o n the streetwear aesthetic, you can expect to see quilted 3D chain sweatshirts, “T” chain zippers on garments along withchain elements o n bags and accessories. You’ll also find the threedimensional cargo pants and gilets v ery interesting.
And our ultimate fav orite? The grey wool sweater that pa ys tribute to the members of Abloh’ studio and atelier.