Virgil Abloh Unveils First Louis Vuitton Collaboration LV² Bape Founder Nigo

Virgil Abloh has given the world a glimpse of his very first Louis Vuitton collaboration collection with Bape Founder, Nigo, dubbed as "LV²,"  as part of the Pre-Fall 2020 collection. This follows their announcement of the collection late last year. 

As a Japanese streetwear pioneer, Nigo is known for his streetwear-style designs. However, this collection sports no logos nor much streetwear, and instead observes the London Mon-era dandy through a Tokyo lens, with a focus on tailoring.

Abloh wanted to do the unexpected with this collection. The French luxury house famously partnered with Supreme in 2017, but this collaboration features no logos from Nigo’s brand Human Made.

Instead, what we get is fusion of both these prolific designer’s sensibilities. A cropped Mod suit that adapts and magnifies the Louis Vuitton Damier check, echoed in a double-faced duffle coat with micro-check lining, a black fishtail parka that values from the dandy and sports wardrobes, and patchworking that appears throughout in a meeting between the Louis Vuitton Monogram and the Damier check rendered in denim.

Abloh describes Nigo as one of the “first real mentors” he had in fashion. “I was fortunate over 15 years ago to have met him in Japan. He took us under his wing and showed us the ropes of how he was building the brand A Bathing Ape at the time,” he said. 

Take a glimpse of the entire collection’s lookbook here:

The Louis Vuitton LV² Collection will launch in two phases : June 26th and August 28th. More details will be shared nearer to date.