Louis Vuitton Celebrates Takashi Murakami’s 20th Anniversary With Global Pop-Up Series
January 7, 2025
The luxury house debuts 170-piece re-edition collection with immersive retail experience in New York's SoHo
Louis Vuitton is marking its landmark collaboration with Takashi Murakami through a series of global pop-ups, with New York's SoHo district hosting the sole dedicated U.S. location for the 170-piece re-edition collection.
The Prince Street installation, which opened today, transforms a minimalist white space into a modular retail environment inspired by Tokyo's capsule hotels. The pop-up's distinct zones, connected by a central corridor and marked by purple and orange archways, offer both commercial and experiential elements centered around the artist's reinterpreted LV motifs.
The re-edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of what became one of luxury's most influential collaborations. The original 2003 partnership between Louis Vuitton's then-creative director Marc Jacobs and Murakami helped establish the blueprint for luxury-artist collaborations, merging fine art with commercial fashion in unprecedented ways. The initial collection's Multicolore monogram became one of the most recognizable designer patterns of the early 2000s, marking a pivotal moment in luxury's relationship with contemporary art.
The Chapter One re-edition collection revisits Murakami's iconic designs including the Monogram Multicolore, Superflat Panda and Superflat Garden patterns. Among the standout items is a made-to-order Malle Wardrobe containing 33 Speedy bags. The collection reimagines Murakami's signature motifs across Louis Vuitton's core categories, from City Bags to accessories. Digital elements include the Murakami Flower Go Walk portable games available through the pop-up's vending machine, reflecting the collaboration's evolution into the digital era.
In a notable move toward sustainability, the space features a fully operational care station where clients can have their vintage Louis Vuitton x Murakami pieces, restored. Services include canvas cleaning, metal restoration and renewal of hand-painted motifs, with restoration work visible to visitors. This service represents a growing focus among luxury brands on circular fashion and product longevity.
The installation's exhibition space showcases archival pieces from the original 2003-2006 collection, including the Eye Love Monogram, Monogram Multicolore in both colorways, Monogram Blossom, Monogram Cerise and a rare Monogram Multicolore Franges piece from 2006. The curated selection demonstrates the collaboration's impact on luxury accessories design and its lasting influence on collector culture.
The SoHo space prioritizes experiential retail with its modular design. Beyond the exhibition space showcasing rare archival pieces, visitors can observe real-time restoration work at the care station, highlighting the house's focus on craftsmanship and sustainability. The weekend café activation, offering custom panda-shaped pastries and specialty drinks in Louis Vuitton x Murakami-designed servingware, adds an exclusive element for purchasers.
A lower-level cinema screens remastered versions of Murakami's Superflat Monogram Film (2003) and Superflat First Love (2009). The films, which transpose the story of Alice in Wonderland into Louis Vuitton's universe through Japanese animation, marked Murakami's first venture into animated storytelling for a luxury brand.
The multi-city approach reflects Louis Vuitton's post-pandemic retail strategy of creating market-specific experiences. While the Harajuku location leverages Murakami's home market appeal with the largest installation globally, each city features unique activations: Milan's historic trams are transformed with Murakami's designs, Seoul introduces a dedicated ice cream concept shop, and Paris showcases the collaboration through a dramatic cinema wall installation at the house's Champs-Élysées flagship.
The experiential retail concept extends to interactive elements, with purchasers receiving tokens to access an oversized vending machine dispensing limited-edition stickers, trading cards, and portable games. During the January 10-12 weekend, the café space will serve as an exclusive lounge for clients, featuring Murakami flower cushions and custom-designed serving pieces.
The pop-up, joining similar installations in London, Milan, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo, will remain open through January 2025.
