Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 Collection at The Salk Institute

Designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, and presented at the Salk Institute.

The Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière unveiled its Louis Vuitton Cruise ‘23 Women’s collection that echoed a post-apocalyptic flight of fancy. The fashion show was set against a sunset coastline at The Jolla’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies” in San Diego, California. “I’d seen pictures of the Salk, it was on the cover of the Louis Vuitton magazine in 2019, and I was always curious to see it for real,” Ghesquière said.

“Having spent a lot of time in California, I was drawn to the idea of showing there again. The Salk Institute has been a place of wonder for me over the years and Louis Kahn’s stunning Brutalist architecture against this extraordinary setting of the Pacific Ocean and the California sunset provides me with endless inspiration. It also celebrates intelligence, knowledge and the belief in the power of science,” Said Nicolas Ghesquière, ahead of the show on 12^th May.

The collection was illuminated by the sun setting in the distance, as warm hues brought life to the iconic location. This was a strategically planned addition to the evening from Ghesquière who saw the sun as a “guest of honour” to this collection. The shows notes read, “the heat plays an active part in the temperature set a stylist tempo,”. And added, “the unique light of the West Coast creates prisms on clothes full of reflections.”

Moreover, the collection featured science-fiction elements at its core and highlighted the beauty of nature. While the clothes were beautiful, it was the natural elements that brought them to life in a way that was almost magical. Some of the materials included linen, silk, jacquard, leather and tweed, which were lit up by the sun’s rays.

The clothing — items that would have looked at home among the costumes in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune – included futuristic bolero jackets hung with tinsel, bomber jackets, metallic pants and jacquard gowns. Some models carried skateboards while others sported metallic striped boots and sneakers.

On the other hand, Louis Vuitton’s star-studded front row attracted several actresses including Gemma Chan, Emma Roberts, Samara Weaving, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor, Renate Reinsve, Ana de Armas, Deepika Padukone (Louis Vuitton’s first Indian brand ambassador) and Léa Seydoux, who will soon be heading to Cannes, where she will star in two new films. Leslie Mann attended with daughters Maude and Iris Apatow. Ava DuVernay, model Miranda Kerr, LACMA boss Michael Govan and wife Katherine Ross, Billie Lourd and husband Austen Rydell were also spotted.

See more of the collection below: