Art & Photography

Photo Essay: Louis Vuitton AW13

As Kim Jones launched his Magic Mountain collection, Carlotta Manaigo ventured backstage to capture the moment

Ever since Kim Jones took control over Louis Vuitton’s menswear range, travelling has been at its core when showing in Paris. As a luggage company, that has always been the case but Jones, with his own personal globetrotting history, managed to effortlessly make travelling a key element of the shows from day one. Having visited the Oriental and Africa for previous collections, Jones went to the Himalayas for the AW13 season. The result was a wrapped up collection inspired by mountaineering technology and local traditions. The habits
and culture of indigenous people has always been one of Kim Jones’ starting points, but this time around he went a step further and looked closer at the domestic fauna; Brit artists Jake and Dinos Chapman were commissioned by Vuitton to create snow leopard patterns and motifs to illustrate the point. As per usual, Louis Vuitton impressed with a wide array of luxe fabrics, especially furs and leathers (astrakhan, sheepskin, shearling, fox and mink) but what took most of us with surprise was the music: the show started with a heart stopping screech and rolled down the runway as an ear-deafening techno beat. In the background the Magic Mountain towered on a screen but it was quite obvious that Kim Jones didn’t need any help to reach these sartorial heights.

Words David Hellqvist
Photography Carlotta Manaigo