WHEN INDUSTRIES COLLIDE

Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer collection took inspiration from Square Enix's 'Final Fantasy'. The garments were in a significant featured editorial for London Fashion Week AW16 this February despite being an SS16 collection. Even British Vogue supported the collaboration by publishing the advertisement double page spread in the first pages of the March 2016 issue, just in time for LFW!

Nicolas Ghesquière, Director of Louis Vuitton, commented:

“It’s clear that the virtual aesthetic of video games is predominant in this collection. If we push the reflection about heroines, or what might constitute the nature of a woman whose actions can be so courageous that she becomes superior and iconic, it becomes obvious that a virtual entity integrates with the founding principles of the Maison. Lightning is the perfect avatar for a global, heroic woman and for a world where social networks and communications are now seamlessly woven into our life. She is also the symbol of new pictorial processes. How can you create an image that goes beyond the classic principles of photography and design? Lightning heralds a new era of expression.”

Personally, I feel that any collaboration of ideas from different industries is a fantastic idea. It opens the door to a wider range of possibilities for a final outcome. However, can we really believe that everyone who worked on the editorial and collection fully understood the aesthetics of the game? Surely everybody must have played the game in order to gain this further understanding, or did they leap to a great conclusion purely just by looking at the visuals of the game or speaking to the developers involved?

One of the other reasons the collection was so popular was because Jaden Smith featured in the series. His unique combination of Japanese traditional prints and street style was one of the influences for the original 'Series 1'. The Telegraph's Olivia Lidbury wrote a full article on Jaden's involvement. Check it out on the link below!