Around the world in 80 looks from Louis Vuitton's SS25

One of the most legendary Daft Punk songs, Around the World, is based on the repetition (144 times) of the same phrase. Ironically, it is precisely this repetitiveness and simplicity that made it legendary. And something similar happened with Louis Vuitton's SS25, which took place yesterday on the rooftop of the Maison de l'UNESCO in Paris, where Pharrell reiterated the silhouettes already introduced in his first collection, following a leitmotif that can be summed up in the phrase "around the world". Accompanied by Triumphus Cosmos, a composition by Pharrell himself, the show was animated by a breath of pacifist ecumenism: Louis Vuitton bringing the whole world together and representing universal harmony. A kind of optimism that in other historical situations would have been cloying but today, in times of multi-level tensions between citizens and states, citizens and citizens, states and other states, sounds strangely encouraging. In 2024, saying you want world peace is no longer a beauty pageant cliché but a not-so-trivial statement – although still vaguely rhetorical. After all, Louis Vuitton represents institutions: it is the flagship of LVMH, a group that sponsors the Olympics and has a fairly close relationship with the political world and the public life of the country. Certainly, it sounds idealistic to raise a hymn of peace while the French government is faltering, everyone is discussing the polluted Seine, and Parisians are not taking the advent of the Olympics very well – but fashion either ignores the real world or dives into it headlong, and Louis Vuitton is too big and too important to afford to be cynical or pessimistic.

The collection, in addition to sharing the theme “around the world” with the Daft Punk song, possesses the same schematic quality. The concept is developed like a geometric progression, starting from the desire to reflect the shades of skin tones of people around the world, organizing the colors of the looks into a sort of palette that starts from black and gradually becomes lighter until it culminates in a series of multicolored jackets. The same schematism is applied to the menswear lines, organized according to the archetypes of the traveler that symbolize the currents of today's menswear: the diplomat with formalwear; the pilot with military clothing; the explorers with sportswear; the tourists with workwear. The collection plays with macro and micro visions of color and texture. From afar, the silhouettes appear almost monochromatic, but up close they reveal intricate details. The buttons are encrusted with miniature globes, airplane ornaments, pearls, and crystals – repeated throughout all the other details of the collection. The Monogram Branded in relief and the new Damoflage motif (a portmanteau of Damier and camouflage) are virtually everywhere. There's also the Snake-o-Flage, a python pattern, and patterns that mimic animal skins. The multicolored LVERS Damier motif adds vibrancy to the collection, shown in jacquard and denim. Accessories include aviator hats, agent caps, and cowboy hats, all related to the traveler theme of the collection. Translucent socks in skin tones, leather and velvet gloves, silk ties, bow ties, and decorated scarves serve to define the final touches of this trans-national dandyism.

Regarding handbags (and one cannot avoid talking about them), on the runway we saw archive versions like the Alma, Christopher, and Neverfull in soft leather with aged VVN finishes. Also, the Danube and Amazon were revived, with added multi-pocket decorations. There was even a Keepall entirely covered in rhinestones, metal charms inspired by archive tags scattered on each piece. The Speedy P9 is remixed in black tones and faded neon colors, including a new Speedy 30 dimension. The LVERS Damier motif adorns canvas bags, while the Silhouette bags in black leather are embossed with luggage tag shapes. Collaborative designs with Air Afrique, a Parisian artistic collective inspired by the famous airline and magazine, feature bluish-green tartan and Damier checkers, decorated with planetary logo tags. Lastly, the collection's shoes draw inspiration from travelers. The LV Agent boot, Diplomat, and Bowling shoe are various models suited to different traveler archetypes, including a cowboy boot in various exotic leathers, while the LV Footprint Runner and Soccer shoes reflect sporting influences. There were also glasses with winged frames, and other models in mask form with colored lenses and crystal details. Also making a return were the Millionaire 1.0 and 4.0 with frames in skin tones and glossy Monogram panels. In terms of jewelry, tennis necklaces, colored crystal bracelets and rings, aviation-inspired brooches, and globe pendant necklaces were seen.

Difficult not to see, in this show, a demonstration of the brand's strength, a sort of public proof of its brand atelier's capabilities but also almost a radical goodness with which Louis Vuitton began to color itself already since the days of Virgil Abloh. The message is that the brand is not only qualitatively good but also morally – if that makes sense. But after all, which other brand could afford such a flex? Anyway, if Pharrell's approach to ecumenism (using an ecclesiastical term that however reflects well the idea of uniting all peoples under a sign, cross, or monogram) is perhaps completely lacking in subtlety, it must still be said that his ability to communicate the spirit of the brand, to organize and coordinate macro and micro-details in a show that is less a fashion show and more a spectacle in the sense of total work on every single aspect, undoubtedly leaves an impression.