“Le Carrousel, the circular dance of fashion. This season at Louis Vuitton the circle has turned once more and arrived at a place of pure enjoyment, gentleness, joie de vivre and love. But this is a particular enjoyment and love: the joy of Parisian fashion.”
How apropo to be in Paris this season and be invited to attend the Louis Vuitton show. Truly it was an honor to receive the invitation and take part in sharing the message of the brand. We each seemed to have a singular goal in mind - to celebrate Parisian fashion. And what a joy it was. A magical carousel, a whimsical fairytale with girls in fabulously feminine clothes - a vision of delicacy in beautiful lace, icy pastels, transparent flowers and and feather trimmed loveliness – and then there was Kate Moss on the runway (exclamation point!). All of this Parisian splendor harkened from a history of fine craftsmanship. And to top it off Louis Vuitton, one of the most prestigious luxury brands in the world, is also on the forefront of fashion and technology. I find it so compelling that Louis Vuitton, like Burberry, is leading the charge into the future and the digital world. Think of its recent “The Art of Travel by Louis Vuitton” campaign. For Spring 2012 show, it created a complete digital experience to give fans an inside look at Louis Vuitton and Parisian fashion.
“The romance of Parisian fashion is a joy in the emotional exchange between the craftsman and wearer. Fashion is a spectacle, but this is an intimate relationship as well; it is not just about the joy of looking but the joy of feeling,” explained the show program. Clothes can be enjoyed because of their beauty, but the pleasure of luxury is also in knowing the craftsmanship of the garment and its exquisite design by a Parisian atelier. Case in point: the “Coquilee D’Oeuf” minaudiere, the collections’ piece de résistance. The evening bag, which took over 300 hours and 12,500 pieces of “mosaicked” eggshells to make, sums up the extreme delicacy and emotional exchange in the crafting the collection.
Just as the clothes can be appreciated from the inside out, so too can the runway show and the brand's message - by understanding what goes on behind-the-scenes. To give fans an inside look this season Louis Vuitton live-streamed the show and created a series of videos about the brand, the runway show and Paris itself. “Social media is very interesting and brings opposite personalities together,” said Kamel Ouadi, global digital director at Louis Vuitton, Paris. “There’s this idea of openness and of community [that] lets consumers connect and share…. [Social media] emphasizes the emotional aspects of a luxury industry [that] is sometimes perceived as arrogant and distant,” he said. Not only was the show was broadcast live via iPhone and iPad and on the Louis Vuitton Facebook Page, but a mini-site dedicated to the show was also launched. Fans could tune it to find out how the beautiful carousel and runway show was created and watch the building of the show tent. And designer Marc Jacobs created exclusive videos to discuss his vision of the Louis Vuitton Woman, the creative process involved in building a collection and putting on a Louis Vuitton fashion show.
