WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SHOW IN HONG KONG, AND WHAT INSPIRED THE COLLECTION? Hong Kong is one of my favourite places – beautiful culture, beautiful people, lots of creativity. There’s a wealth of tradition here, some kept closely preserved and some responding to newer influences. It’s an incredibly vibrant place, and I’m a vibrations person. When I started to think about the idea of the show and the vibrations connected to it, it made me think of Hawaii. The energy in Hawaii is amazing. I wanted to merge those two worlds together: from Hawaii to Hong Kong.
WHAT DOES THE TRANSITION FROM HAWAII TO HONG KONG SIGNIFY?
As in the previous show, when we took you from Virginia to Paris, it’s a conduit. It’s making a connection between people and between cultures, where it may be apparent or not.
WHAT DOES THIS CULTURAL CONNECTION REPRESENT TO YOU? Every time there’s inspiration for me, it’s grounded in the sun and the light. In my previous show, I asked, “what will you do when the sun shines on you?” because when you analyse why the sun is shining on you, it should make you rejoice.
AS THE FOCAL POINT OF YOUR DEBUT SHOW, HOW IS THE SUN REFLECTED IN YOUR SECOND COLLECTION? When we have a moment to decompress, we often gravitate towards warmer climates. My relationship with Hawaii is connected to the climate. I love warm weather. It’s very humid. The sun is the greatest source of life, and light itself is energy. Energy is a vibration, and when you go to places where the sun is shining, you feel it in the people. I like that.
HOW DID THESE IDEAS EVOLVE INTO A COLLECTION INSPIRED BY SAILING AND SURFING?
If you weren’t flying from one place to the other, how else would you get there? You’d be sailing. So, one side of it is very sailor-centric. The other side is tropical. I want to give reverence to the surfing culture of Hawaii but also to surfer enthusiasts from Hong Kong. I’ve never actually surfed a day in my life, but I think it’s a beautiful culture. What I see is people riding waves – waves that are caused by the position of the moon and the winds – that’s a crazy connection from an ethereal point of view. How often do we get to ride waves as human beings?
HOW DID YOU ENVISION THE STAGING OF THE SHOW? Watching The Love Boat as a kid, I used to think the lighting was amazing. It was this beautiful concord blue and grape vibe. Like blueberry. And the clouds were always so Da Vinci white and silky. I wanted to introduce some of that light into the collection and how we show it, bathed in the light of the wave-maker – the moon – on the Avenue of Stars.
THESE ELEMENTS ARE ALL EXPRESSIONS OF THE NAUTICAL THEME OF THE SHOW. HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE COLLECTION’S NAUTICAL THEME?
On the sailor side, I looked at their informal wear – what they wear on deck – but also the formal items they wear when they’re representing in public. Within that silhouette, I mixed in a lot of my code language: bootcut sailor trousers, doublebreasted sailor-inspired jackets, chambrays, and of course denim. There’s some scuba as well. And then it dives deep into embellishments and embroideries.
HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE COLLECTION’S SURFER THEME?
The prints are inspired by those of tropical floral shirts typical of Hawaii, but are also dedicated to surf life. We adapt those same prints from shirts into formal wear – double-breasted suits with bootcut trousers –and luggage in the same print. We really went there. I did the soundtrack, Airplane Tickets with Swae Lee and Rauw Alejandro, performed by fifty ukulele players. We worked on a strong local casting, and used Hawaiian models and surfers.
HOW DOES THIS SHOW REFLECT YOUR BROADER INTENTIONS AT LOUIS VUITTON?
As long as I’m here, the sun will be a continuous theme. At the end of the day, it’s about humanity. Always. That’s who makes the clothes, who wears them, and who inspires them.
