On September 5th, the Louis Vuitton Shinjuku store held a preview and reception for the exhibition "SERIES1—THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW," which opens on September 8th.

The exhibition, which coincides with the launch of Louis Vuitton's new artistic director, Nicolas Ghesquiere, looks back on his creative process. It is being held in only two locations worldwide, in Tokyo and Shanghai.

The store has been extensively renovated, with various content exhibited under the themes of "black" on the first floor and "white" on the second floor. Surprisingly, the first floor is entirely exhibition space, with only half of the second floor being the sales floor.

The first corner is "Louis Vuitton," featuring a neon LV logo. A mirror is attached to the back, creating a mesmerizing image of the LV logo continuing forever. Here, Nicolas's close friend Charlotte Gainsbourg reads a letter expressing her enthusiasm for his first collection. The full letter is displayed in the "The Letter" section. In the next section, "Magic Trunk," Nicolas's image overflows, with holograms and screen projections of patterns, scissors, and new items. The final section on the first floor, "Infinite Show," features a kaleidoscope-like multi-display presentation of the 2014-15 Autumn/Winter collection. With background music playing, it feels like a collection venue.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, a completely different, bright space awaits. The "Accessories Gallery" is a surreal space featuring a 3D-printed sculpture of Marte Mei van Haaster, Nicolas's muse and model who appears in the brand's 2014-15 Autumn/Winter visuals. In the all-white space, a Styrofoam Marte poses wearing bags, shoes, and earrings, sometimes blending into the wall and suggesting Louis Vuitton accessories to the viewer. Valuable pieces from the brand's archives, such as the "Count Pimodam's Cabin Trunk" (a mini trunk clutch) and the "Mr. Crocker's Bookcase Trunk" (a belt), which served as inspiration for the accessories, are also on display.

After the surreal space, visitors are greeted by a powerful display of fashion photography. In the "Poster Room," an entire wall is covered like a patchwork with images from the AW14-15 collection by Annie Leibovitz, Juergen Teller, Bruce Weber, and others. Stacked on the floor are fashion story posters by Patrick Demarchelier and Teller. Enjoy the treat of being able to take them home with you.

The final section of the creative process is "The Collection," showcasing items from Nicolas's first collection. After viewing the creative process, various thoughts are sure to swirl around your mind as you consider each item.

Nicolas and Michael Burke, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton Malletier, were in Japan for the reception, and guests from overseas, including Chloë Sevigny, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Rinko Kikuchi, Kyoko Koizumi, Tadanobu Asano, Shishido Kavka, Ai Tominaga, Hidetoshi Nakata, Jessica Michibata, and Youn-A, also came to celebrate.

Videos related to the exhibition are currently being shown on the Louis Vuitton official website, on the multi-vision screen at Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and on various news sites.


【Event Information】
SERIES1―THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW
Venue: Louis Vuitton Shinjuku Store
Address: 3-4-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Dates: September 8th to 28th
Time: 11:00 to 20:00
Free admission