During their Men’s Fall/Winter 2023 show in Paris, Louis Vuitton steered away from the traditional runway show and took viewers on a trip down memory lane; the entire show evoking a sense of playfulness and nostalgia alongside themes of community, teamwork, and connectivity. From the creative set to the collaboration with KidSuper designer Colm Dillane, to the incredible performance by Rosalia, the show was far from your conventional upbringing.

In the Cour Carrée du Louvre, French filmmakers, Michel Gondry and Olivier Gondry designed the unique set, unlike any other. Structured as a house and representing the evolution of a young boy’s life, the collection was all about one’s rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, each model having a story to convey as they walked from room to room. From a hospital birthing room to a toddler’s bedroom, playroom, living room, and more, the most crucial parts of one’s upbringing was portrayed throughout the show. Models could be seen scribbling on the walls, and others played chess and threw darts, all whilst the iconic Rosalia amazed the crowd with her personally curated set for the show and dazzling vocals. The creative direction of this show was quite genius, and allowed viewers to chronologically follow the story of one’s upbringing.

The collaboration with Brooklyn-based streetwear designer and founder of KidSuper was evident in the vibrantly printed pieces. Dillane is one of the first guest designers to create pieces for Louis Vuitton’s menswear and proved to be another bold and successful collaboration, coming right after the Parisian House’s most recent collaboration with legendary Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama.

The tailoring for this collection was loose-fitting and relaxed all around. The take on a traditional boxy suit jacket with thick shoulder pads was the base element that was built upon for almost every look. This season presents a middle-ground between work and sportswear, most of which embody a more traditionally masculine shape. The house repeated some silhouettes from some of the most classic menswear pieces of the 90s, which also marks the beginning of children growing up with the internet.

The designs held multiple references to television and cinema through fabrications across tailoring and illusory designs and embroidery made with pearls and sequins. On multiple jackets, prints of movie scenes are visible with blurred quotes typed out. Multiple phrases were intentionally written on some pieces, one of the most repeated ones being ‘blurry vision of a bright future,’ re-instating the notion of being unsure of what the future holds as a child. These were not the only visuals projected onto the clothes as suits and denim were encoded with various digital images and graphics.

Compared to the house’s previous Fall/Winter menswear collection which was based primarily on surrealism and abstract forms forcing the viewer to think beyond the clothes presented, this collection was far more straightforward in that most of its messages were printed directly onto the clothing.

Virgil Abloh’s appointment as Louis Vuitton’s creative director in 2018 changed the direction of the brand entirely providing a fresh creative direction, and their collaboration with a streetwear brand highlights Abloh’s humungous legacy further and showcases the ways in which his ideas and creativity will continue to live through the brands’ work; a beautiful and powerful tribute was undoubtedly felt throughout the collection.

From tailored suits to eccentrically printed and textile fabrics, this collection has a little bit of everything; from classic to playful, and grungier energy in order to represent the idea of shared experiences and the evolution of growth. The collection also targets the digital age and the younger generation in the ways technology and social media have become vital to everyday life through illusory designs and eccentric silhouettes.