See More of Pregnant Rihanna in Louis Vuitton’s New Campaign
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NEED FOR SPEEDY: Louis Vuitton has released the full Rihanna-fronted ad campaign to reveal the vision of Pharrell Williams, its new men’s creative director.
The brand had teased the campaign last week with a giant billboard on the side of the Musée d’Orsay, just ahead of Williams’ debut runway show in Paris, which Rihanna attended with her musician husband A$AP Rocky.
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Vuitton described the ad images as artifacts “created to alter perceptions, challenge history and evolve an existing legacy. Personified by a pregnant Rihanna — a symbol of human empowerment and the quintessential everyday icon — the men’s campaign reflects the re-contextualization at the core of Pharrell Williams’ approach to the maison.”
While that sounds lofty, the campaign essentially puts Williams’ reimagined Speedy bag front-and-center as Rihanna’s pregnancy bump.
According to Vuitton, the classic Speedy was one of the first bags the “Happy” singer owned. The travel tote was created by Gaston-Louis Vuitton, grandson of the founder, in 1930.
Williams’ version is “informed by the cosmopolitan nucleus” that inspired his “early education in luxury: Canal Street on Lower Manhattan, New York City; a cultural axis invigorated by a diverse energy and hustle mentality echoed in corresponding streets around the metropolises of the world.”
“The new Speedy conjures through the inimitable savoir-faire of the maison a visual language evocative of the codes and stylistic attitude of Canal Street. It is an everyday icon conceived for every walk of life,” Vuitton added in a statement. (For years, Canal Street was synonymous with counterfeit luxury goods.)
The new Speedy kept its trapezoidal lines, but the bags are now expressed in supple grained calf leather. “The softened construction enables the bottom of the bag to collapse and drape the way it would through everyday wear and gestures,” according to Vuitton. “The silkscreen-printed Monogram induces a blurry, artisanal and almost hand-painted effect, rendered in several colors.”
Rihanna, the new Speedy and other Vuitton products by Williams were photographed by Keizo Kitajima and Martine Syms in a studio.
Cynthia Lu and Matthew Henson, both longtime collaborators of Williams, styled the spots, which will appear on all Vuitton’s digital channels.
Rihanna also appears in a short video, lugging colorful handbags through the city streets at dusk, also juggling a paper coffee cup.
Williams further promoted his version of the Speedy by dutifully toting the emblematic accessory to the many shows he attended during men’s fashion week in Paris, including Junya Watanabe, Kenzo, Dior and Loewe.
Vuitton launched the Speedy in monogram canvas in 1959 and it became popular among celebrities. In 1965, Audrey Hepburn asked the house to create a smaller version to match her petite frame. Since then it has been interpreted in multiple ways and has been a canvas for artistic collaborations by the likes of Stephen Sprouse and Yayoi Kusama.
Launch Gallery: Louis Vuitton Men's Spring 2024
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