First Look: Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin And More Rework The Iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram

See all of the incredible pieces from Louis Vuitton’s Icons And Iconoclasts project...

Louis Vuitton
(Image credit: Louis Vuitton)

See all of the incredible pieces from Louis Vuitton’s Icons And Iconoclasts project...

Celebrating Louis Vuitton’s 160th birthday (and almost 120 years of their famous gold and brown check) the fruits of the much-anticipated Icons And Iconoclasts collaboration have landed. Behold the hautest of haute trunks, cases and, erm, punch bags, you will surely ever see.

Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, Cindy Sherman, Rei Kawakubo, Marc Newson and Frank Gehry were licensed to do whatever they wanted with the house’s iconic motif, resulting in a one-of-a-kind collection of truly unique design feats. The resulting artworks wouldn’t look out of place in the maison’s new mega-museum, don’t you think?

‘This is a group of geniuses,’ enthused LV's executive vice president, Delphine Arnault, when the project was announced. ‘It was so interesting - and fun! - to have all of these different points of view on the monogram.’

See our take on each of the incredible collaborations below, and find the gorgeous ‘making of’ images in the gallery above.

Christian Louboutin For Louis Vuitton The Granny of all fashion accessories has been turned into a haute hit. Classic Louboutin markers - think splashes of his signature red lacquer and a smattering of fierce gold rock studs - make this a future collectable. Priced at £14,100, however, don't expect to see one of these pimped up trollies in your local Tesco anytime soon...

Cindy Sherman For Louis Vuitton Imagine if you owned this. No, but, imagine. 31 suede draws are enveloped in this mega-trunk, complete with pop-up vanity table, fold out stool and a mini-suitcase for those rare times when you need to go portable. Cindy's only made 25, so if you want one of these you'd better get in quick.

(Image credit: ©Patrick Galabert)

Karl Lagerfeld For Louis Vuitton Ask Karl Lagerfeld's ingenious brain to design you a bag, and you never quite know what you’re gonna get. But surely no one could have predicted this. For his contribution to the project, Karl's offered up a monogram punch bag, styled with matching boxing gloves, training mat and monogram print gym locker.

Rei Kawakubo For Louis Vuitton The queen of conceptual design and Japanese founder of Comme Des Garçons delivers a beautifully battered tote. Simple and subtle (especially in comparison to some of the other ambitious ideas here) yet totally effective design.

Marc Newson For Louis Vuitton Talk about hot fuzz, product designer (and Apple’s new signing) Marc has given the staple backpack a makeover with neon shearlings and industrial metal zips.

Frank Gehry For Louis Vuitton As if LV would commission a project like this without asking architect-of-the-moment Frank for some input. The designer behind the incredible new Vuitton museum, Frank’s abstract tiny trunk gives the perfect nod to the contemporary structures he's known for.

Louis Vuitton’s Icons And Iconoclasts Launches On 15th October. Find out more about the history of the Louis Vuitton monogram here.