A group of style-savvy students traveled to New York City on Wednesday, December 6, for a very special event. Volez, Voguez, Voyagez – Louis Vuitton, a visually-stunning and historically-rich exhibition about the House of Louis Vuitton, gave members of Storm King‘s Fashion Club an inside look at the life of this luxury brand.
Left to right: Mr. Carruthers, Gloria Wang ’19, Iris Zhang ’19, Emily Kent ’21, Tanes Chandran ’19, Yasmine Mattar ’19
Curated by Olivier Saillard, the exhibition retraces the progression of the Louis Vuitton brand from 1854 to the present. The exhibition designed by Robert Carsen divides the brand’s history into ten chapters, one of which is entirely devoted to the United States of America and New York City. The show is ongoing inside the American Stock Exchange Building in lower Manhattan through early January.
Docent Alejandro Guerrero points out the workmanship and detail on an iconic Louis Vuitton trunk
The tour, highlighted by the captivating historical narrative of Docent Alejandro Guerrero, opened with the most symbolic object of the House: the original Louis Vuitton trunk. According to Mr. Guerrero, the original trunk was “a functional model fashioned with contemporary flair, embodying the iconic hallmarks and bold spirit of Louis Vuitton.” The rest of the exhibition focused on the brand’s history in Europe and America through carefully-chosen objects and documents from the Louis Vuitton heritage archives, and articles from the Palais Galliera and the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
Emily Elizabeth Kent ’21 and Tanes Chandran ’19 viewing bags designed in collaboration with pop artist Jeff Koons
Each chapter of the exhibition took the group on a journey through time. Through examples of elaborate, custom-made luggage for hats, shoes, clothing, and toiletries, the students got a glimpse luxury travel in the 19th century on ocean liners such as the Titanic and on pan-European trains such as the legendary Orient Express. They also had the chance to see items belonging to Hollywood stars including Lauren Bacall, Catherine Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor that took their breath away. Even a special, military-issue briefcase belonging to WWII General Douglas MacArthur was on display.
Yasmine Mattar ’19 viewing trunks from the Louis Vuitton historical archive representing cultures all over the world
As the group “traveled” through the 20th century, the later chapters of the exhibition portrayed the brand’s success in the United States, its affiliations with the music industry, and its collaborations with contemporary artists including graffiti-ist Stephen Sprouse and pop artist Jeff Koons. The final chapter in the exhibit was a live display devoted to the artisans in the Louis Vuitton workshops where the students saw how Louis Vuitton’s custom handbags are made.
At the conclusion of the tour, all the students commented on how much they enjoyed the trip, and all of them left with a deeper knowledge of the story of this luxury brand and how it grew along with history.