Virgil Abloh unveils Louis Vuitton's new collection with Lauryn Hill performance
On Thursday, Louis Vuitton presented its latest men's collection in Shanghai and Virgil Abloh, the brand's artistic director of menswear, tapped Lauryn Hill for a surprise musical performance, which served as a backdrop to the live runway show.
The show, however, didn't lead with Hill, it started with a representation of the brand's FW20 offering to sounds from South Korean indie band Hyukoh, before unveiling the new collection.
Once that ended, melodies from Hill began.
First, the musical icon hummed 'Black Rage,' a response to the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. It was followed by a rendition of 'Guarding The Gates,' a hit from the Queen & Slim album, which cued the opening look.
The opening look was a white suit followed by more impeccably tailored garments sent down the runway.
Alongside the focus on tailoring was an emphasis on sustainability, with upcycled pieces, recycled ideas or reiterations from the previous season.
The prominence of colour was also a highlight. Monochromatic hues reigned – sunflower yellow, cobalt and fuchsia appeared on of coats, shirts, suits, shorts and trenches.
Throughout the show, viewers were treated to bangers from the 1998 mega-hit album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
While bright colours were copious, prints also had their moments. Abloh reimagined the brand's signature check, monogram and floral motifs on fabrics in larger sizes and offered multi-coloured plaids and stripes that exuded soft psychedelic feels.
Chinese pop superstar and LV ambassador Kris Wu closed the show in a white structured suit while carrying a gigantic blow-up "Zoom with friends" cartoon character that was seen in the brand's teaser video last month.
Beyond tailoring and fashion, Abloh's musical choices as well as opening and closing the show in a white suit, seemed like a response to the issues happening in the world.
Globally, we are in unfamiliar territory with the pandemic and race relations, and Abloh's latest showing seems an attempt to clothe us for these times and spaces.
At the end of the show, Hill announced on behalf of Louis Vuitton and Abloh that a donation had been made to the MLH Foundation to support black businesses affected by COVID-19.
Abloh's voice was heard last in a bow-esque manner, crowning his fifth showing for the fashion house with the message, "What you have seen today is black imagination come to life... there is more to come."
