Louis Vuitton lost in Kusamaland
My trip to Paris last year taught me a new word, one that I can use to describe Louis Vuittons collaboration with Yayoi Kusama. Ringarde.
That’s right, Corny.
Yayoi Kusama is an artist who grew up during world war 2, and was tortured with visions of polka dots and swirls of light and color. She used art to manage her mental health, and today there are giant statues of her outside of Louis Vuitton buildings painting polka dots on the sides.
Don’t expect any intimacy with LV’s second time collaborating with Kusama. Maximalism has taken over with pop up shops, influencer gift openings all over social media, supermodel features, and perfume, bags, and wallets all featuring Kusama’s face and artwork. You can play games featuring her art on your phone, or rock the Kusama face filter on your Instagram or Snapchat story. Lifelike robots of Kusama paint the windows of the store’s displays and what could feel alluring and respectful to the artist’s life is coming off as distastefully capitalist.
From a PR perspective, the collaboration is doing its job. For those that don’t know Kusama nor have the time of day to see beyond the dots, it’s exciting and flashy. It’ll get someone views for featuring their trip to one of the pop ups on their platforms.
Vuitton is raking in money and taking advantage of the flashy show. Digital media has a limit as to how long something stays relevant, but with this collab going over the top it’s easily staying at the top of everyone’s news feed. I see why they did it, and I see the amount of success they are receiving.
But I am so disappointed to see an iconic original brand like Louis Vuitton be so blatantly capitalist in what appears to be a blatant money grabbing marketing scheme. There were ways I would have liked to have seen the collaboration go, such as more education on Kusama’s life and her childhood sewing parachutes for the world war. Even a fundraising campaign and awareness for mental health. Access to art for those who need it!
Kusama as a child
Nothing about the collaboration feels groundbreaking. Thus I see this collab being a quick to rise and quick to fall fad that won’t have any historical affect except for a potential big smudgy dot in Louis Vuittons timeline that might get them in trouble in the future. Once the original shock effect wears off they’ll have to deal with the leftover baggage of their insensitive money scheme coming their way.