Louis Vuitton Taps Another Famed Artist for its New It Girl Bags

Who could forget. It seemed every It-girl of the early 2000s (Naomi Campbell, those notorious Hilton sisters) carried one of the rainbow-monogrammed, cherry-blossom-covered bags designed by Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton.

The collaboration was a smash for years — and part of the French fashion house’s ongoing tradition of inviting artists (Richard Prince, Yayoi Kusama, Stephen Sprouse, Cindy Sherman, Olafur Eliasson, James Turrell, Daniel Buren) to take the reins and reproduce their work on Louis Vuitton’s most famous bags.

This spring, Louis Vuitton has teamed up again, this time tapping mega Pop artist Jeff Koons for a major art/fashion partnership that’s set to outshine the unforgettable Murakami blockbuster.

For his spin on Louis Vuitton’s iconic bags, Koons and LV’s master craftsmen have emblazoned imagery from Koons’ Old Masters-inspired series “Grazing Ball” on a range of handbags and accessories, all colorfully lined in kaleidoscopic neon leather.

Mona Lisa grins from a Neverfull, with Da Vinci stamped across her face; Fragonard’s playful girl wrestles with her dog on a Speedy; and Rubens’ tiger hunt ensues across a travel-ready Keepall.

There’s more: For the first time in Louis Vuitton’s history, tampering was allowed with its iconic LV monogram. Koons did the honors, redesigning the logo to incorporate his initials. Art-history textbooks have never seen anything quite like this.

Louis Vuitton x Jeff Koons Masters collection, at the Louis Vuitton boutique, NorthPark Center and at the Louis Vuitton boutique, Houston Galleria.