Whimsy meets luxury: Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Artycapucines VII bags debut
The Japanese artist transforms 11 Capucines bags into playful, sculptural works unveiled at Art Basel Paris 2025
[SINGAPORE] Louis Vuitton’s latest Artycapucines VII collection marks a return to one of its most successful artistic partnerships.
Unveiled at Art Basel Paris recently, the collaboration has Japanese artist Takashi Murakami reimagining the house’s Capucines bag through 11 limited-edition designs that balance Pop Art flair with fine craftsmanship.
The presentation took place inside a 7.6-metre-tall installation at the Grand Palais, dominated by Murakami’s trademark octopus motif. Its looping tentacles framed the bags in a setting that felt more like a contemporary art exhibition than a luxury product launch – a reminder of how Louis Vuitton has steadily positioned itself as both a fashion house and a patron of the arts.
Each design revisits a different aspect of Murakami’s visual world. The Capusplit BB hides a layer of Monogram Multicolore beneath its exterior, a nod to the 2003 collection that helped redefine the relationship between artists and luxury brands.
The Capubloom, covered entirely in Murakami’s smiling flowers, pushes the bag’s structure towards sculpture, while the Mini Mushroom incorporates more than a hundred hand-painted, 3D-printed resin mushrooms, showcasing the technical range of Louis Vuitton’s ateliers.
Other highlights include the Golden Garden, inspired by Edo-period painter Ogata Korin and built with precise leather marquetry, and the Panda Clutch, a chic update of a character first seen in Murakami’s 2003 film for Louis Vuitton.
Two decades after redefining luxury with the Monogram Multicolore, Murakami’s return is proof that the blending of high art and high fashion remains one of Louis Vuitton’s most enduring and profitable ideas.
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