The youthful spirit of boyhood — getting up to no good with a kind of laissez faire attitude — has already permeated Virgil Abloh’s work. But for Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show, Abloh has turned his lens towards the documentation of his friends and what each of them brings to the table.
The animators who have come up with “Zoooom with friends” — the animated series teasing the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show, the musicians who have synched the soundtrack to his show and of course, Ibrahim Kamara — the stylist whom Abloh brought in during the quarantine to consult on his show.
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For the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show, Abloh has continued to show in his typical format (one that he has been keeping up with since Spring 2019).
It starts off with modern suiting, meets in the middle with playfully reimagined classics and of course, ends with fractured tailoring meets his concept of “hypnovisualism” — a take on psychedelic prints with some riffing of the classic Louis Vuitton logo.
The highlights of the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show came in the form of a carpet-style fringed coat that one might have picked up on his travels, a black safari-style jacket with multiple pockets (alas, another Abloh signature), 1990s inspired colour blocked tailoring and let’s talk about the stuffed-toy cartoon imagery used.
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The stuffed toy imagery meets “aren’t these the characters from ‘Zoooom with friends'” that were pinned on jackets and poking out from bags weren’t just a simple way to deliver a look. It was a sweet and subtle reference to Abloh’s life as a father himself — namely, a throwback to a day in his life when he was out buying gift for his kids.
While some might also wonder about the relevance of fashion shows in well — our current climate — Abloh has introduced an “Upcycling Ideology” for the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show. Two looks were made of new materials, 25 from recycled ones and 25 were from his previous collection.
And if that doesn’t drive home the concept of “Good Guy Abloh”, the man and Louis Vuitton have marked the show with a donation to the MLH Foundation: one that has the back of black businesses affected by COVID-19 and other hardships.
Here, our 10 favourite looks from the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show.
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Look 4. Analogous colours have never looked so spiffy and serious. Actually, neither has petroleum blue.
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Look 7. This cuddle buddy can’t talk but that doesn’t make it any less cuter. Also, enter the new briefcase: we now call it an all black trunk from the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show.
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Look 12. Who else but Abloh who could add Louis Vuitton’s logo + a classic shearling jacket + furry rose pompoms and turn it into something so achingly cool?
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Look 19. Matchy matchy, flashy flashy — this model at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show gets his own furry doppleganger.
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Look 27. While perhaps the simplest of the looks we’ve curated, we think it’s the most prime example of what Abloh does best — injecting a youthful attitude into classic staples.
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Look 36. Also a look worn and pulled off by the coolest art directors or “multi-hyphenate” millennials in town.
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Look 46. What do you look like once you cop this Formula 1 race track inspired sweater? The flyest guy in any room…or Zoom call.
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Look 53. Here’s something both exciting and puzzling from the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show to wrap your head around before it hits the shop floors — 1990s boxy leather tailoring meets tailored basketball shorts meets cowboy boots that have been fused with sneakers. Let us know in five months.
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Look 57. Proof that Abloh is able to restrain himself but still inject some flair — you don’t need to deconstruct a trench coat to make it different. All you need to do is to put enlarged checks on it for a subtle style swerve.
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Look 60. Did you think we’d end this article without mentioning Kris Wu? Or his giant friend who kinda looks like Rick from Rick & Morty? Or his deconstructed white suit?
Catch up with the Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring Summer 2021 show here if you missed it.
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