A Look at LV²: NIGO x Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton Collaboration

Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton

In case you missed it, Virgil Abloh recently announced Louis Vuitton’s new capsule collection in collaboration with Nigo, co-founder of Billionaire Boys Club. Adding to the list of brand collaborations in 2020, this capsule collection is widely anticipated with an estimated August release.

Known as one of Tokyo’s top streetwear designers, Nigo helped pave the way for streetwear with his brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE). Nigo also co-founded the Billionaire Boys Club with American rapper Pharrell Williams. What does come as a surprise is a collaboration that seems to have Virgil Abloh eating his own words that, “streetwear is dead.” 

In an interview with Vogue, Virgil Abloh pays much of his inspiration in design to his apprenticeship with Nigo. The Japanese designer took Abloh under his wing after meeting in Japan, learning the ways of streetwear as opposed to following more traditional fashion paths associated with fashion design.

The Louis Vuitton x Nigo collaboration, officially known as LV², will feature both Louis Vuitton damier and monogram patterns in tandem. At a glance, the unique collection features Louis Vuitton monogram canvas ‘drip’ effect on specific pieces in the highly anticipated capsule collection. This drip effect draws inspiration from Nigo’s Icecream brand which carries the same melting design element. 

In addition to monogram drip, LV Squared also features the signature Damier Ebene pattern that seems to follow a similar oversized aesthetic as the recent LV Monogram Giante collections.

Much of the upcoming capsule features slight homage to streetwear and nods to Nigo’s Human Made line. The LV Squared collection also pulls inspiration from Japanese Americana, as seen in the charcoal and blue denim pieces featured in the recent Louis Vuitton lookbook.

As with previously anticipated limited edition collections, such as the LV x Supreme collection, Louis Vuitton strikes the perfect balance of classic and modern. Under Virgil Abloh’s creative direction, the blend of traditional Louis Vuitton design couples with that of Japanese Americana make it stand out as truly unique.