Just when the fashion world thought they had seen the last works of the late Virgil Abloh at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall/Winter 2022 show in January, they were treated to a sequel as nine previously unseen looks from the original collection debuted in Bangkok, Thailand five months on.
The Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2022 Spin-Off Show was held at the ICON Art and Culture Space in ICONSIAM with over 800 guests from the South Asia and Oceania regions attending the show. Several renowned celebrities such as Park Bo-gum, Sunny Suwanmethanont, Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund, Metawin “Win” Opas-iamkajorn, Afgansyah “Afgan” Reza and Singapore’s very own Desmond Tan were also in attendance but their collective stardom could not steal the show that belonged to the late Virgil Abloh.
Titled Louis Dreamhouse², the fantastical set transported audiences into an alternate dimension. Life was at a standstill — levitating instruments took the place of the stars; in the centre of the universe was the sunken house from Louis Dreamhouse™ in its full glory.
As the cinematic prelude I Dreamt of You by director Sivaroj Kongsakul played out for the show’s digital audience, the dormant sun began pulsing with life and orbiting around the dreamy planetarium.
Models donned in familiar outfits from the Fall/Winter 2022 show soon began their walk in circular passages along a concentric path in tandem with the sun’s orbit. “Circularity is central to the practice of Virgil Abloh,” explains Louis Vuitton. “At Louis Vuitton, the legacy of the Men’s Artistic Director is founded in arcs: the coming-of-age premise, the global perspective, and the cycle of creativity.”
Portraying Virgil Abloh’s Boyhood Ideology®, the key philosophy informs not only the outfit designs but that of the entire set and Kongsakul’s video inspiration. Boyhood Ideology® looks at the world through the eyes of a child, with unfettered purity and innocence, and limitless imaginations that transcend reality and imagination. Notions of archetypal thinking within fashion and society are challenged as what was considered hard lines or boundaries are blurred by Virgil Abloh.
Tailoring, sportswear, dresses, accessories or even patchwork marries various influences while the show’s diverse cast of models is a fine example as different cultures and colours from all walks of life come together for a visual spectacle.
“Diversity isn’t just a question of gender and ethnicity. It’s a question of experience. It brings new ideas to the table.” — Virgil Abloh.
Nine previously unseen looks from the Men’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection are thoughtfully spliced into the runway ensemble with continuity in mind. A play on silhouettes of the nine looks — from form-fitting athletic wear to baggy cut workwear, and even tailored suits paired with relaxed bottoms — are inherent from the overarching theme of the Men’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection.
A series of looks sees the Louis Vuitton Damier reinterpreted as diamonds; the versatility of the patterns looks equally at home on the evening-appropriate wool gabardine evening blouson as it is on the sporty nylon bomber jacket. Balaclavas once popularised by Eastern European military forces peppered the show, paired with either sportswear, workwear or even tailored suits.
Apart from their practical purposes, it serves as a nod to the non-conformist attitude that was evident throughout Virgil Abloh’s career and creations.
As the show approached its conclusion, a trio of angels made their way to the inner ring, their poignant gazes into the beyond were empty with a longing for direction. Soon they were joined by other models who streamed in; the familiar sight of the Creative Director walking down the aisle was absent — a bittersweet epiphany of who and what the fashion world has lost with the untimely passing of Virgil Abloh.
After you’re done with the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2022 Spin-Off Show, click here to read the June/July 2022 issue on Magzter.
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