“I’m not going to use Louis Vuitton to get comfortable” explained Virgil Abloh in an interview with Vogue. After a 6 month hiatus from djing and designing, the jack of all trades has had time to re-examine his approach to couture fashion. The French house needed to distance itself from the streetwear characterisation that comes naturally with Abloh, but transmit his unique energy into the more sartorial style Vuitton was formally known for. Since his appointment, Abloh has made luxury fashion more accessible; those who may have found it difficult to appreciate the cuts, stitches and fabrics used in high-end wear, now have little reason to. This season blurred those boundaries once more.
Favouring suiting silhouettes, Louis Vuitton’s Fall Winter 2020 show was all about the working man. The stage design’s hyper-enlarged household items, and surrealist cloudscape connoted freedom, and a move away from the chaos of commuting. Before the show, tailoring seemed out of Virgil’s comfort zone, but the two-piece suits that elegantly glided down the runway proved he can execute such a fine skill. Perhaps the most memorable pieces were those that included the intricate stitching and sliced patterns that ran throughout the fabrics; as peculiar as this sounds.
Louis Vuitton was 2019’s most valuable luxury brand, growing by a staggering 14% since the previous year. This success is partly down to the mystical worlds Abloh crafts on the runway. Again, the designer opted to work with Benji B for the show’s music curation; Juan Atkins, who’s worshipped for his role in the development of Detroit’s techno scene, set the tone with his squelching acid tech. The genre is inextricably linked to the prestigious art colleges that have birthed some of the world’s most lauded designers, and Abloh is known for playing four-on-the-floor beats in his DJ sets.
Celebrities came out in their numbers to support the show: Kerwin Frost, Pop Smoke, Tyga and even Diplo, who sported an outrageous cowboy hat, could be seen in the audience, sitting there in awe of the styles that shimmered past them. In a runway that aimed to reinvent the hindered image of young men, a conception that streetwear has arguably contributed to, the event equally seemed metaphorical for Virgil’s own successes. Street culture will be forever in-debt to his creative persistence, and the City of Lights once again saw this first hand with celebrities scattered around the audience.
Models in the calibre of Lucien Clarke helped to maintain the show’s authenticity, as one of the most celebrated skaters of our time, his natural strut was welcome once more to the runway. Styled in a beige duffle jacket, the Palace pro’s fit was definitely one of our favourites. The frilly blazers, reimagined laguito briefcases and red wine leather suits were just a few more pieces we can only hope to afford one day.
Heaven on earth was the title of this season, and any fashion fan would have found this collection just that. Parisian style, with Kim Jones’ equally incredible current Dior line, is evidently still leading the way in the world of high-end style. Have a watch of the show yourself below.