This Rising Artist Uses Real Butterflies to Reimagine Designer Goods by Louis Vuitton, Chanel and More

A butterfly flaps its wings… and lands on a Louis Vuitton trunk. At least, that’s the idea behind Roman Feral’s mesmerizing new artworks. The French artist is blending coveted luxury items with one of nature’s most delicate beauties—and he’s already sold more than $1 million worth of work this year.

Born in Paris in 1990, the 29-year-old is relatively new to the contemporary art scene, but he is already gaining recognition for his ability to bring a new dimension to high-end accessories. Intrigued by the relationship between luxury and nature, Feral pairs original pieces from houses Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Goyard, Cartier and more, with real butterflies that he sources from Asia, Africa and South America.

“My art is inspired by the grey zone between nature’s beauty and luxury brands,” the artist told Robb Report.

To create each piece, Feral crafted a new technique—which, he says, requires meticulous attention to detail and much precision—that allows him to set the butterflies while they are airborne. The result is a breathtaking illusion that immortalizes the butterfly’s beauty. The preserved butterflies are all kept in a crystal plexiglass case, and in this form, they’ll live on as artwork.

Feral gets creative with the luxury garb, too. It’s not a case of plonking down a trunk and sticking on some butterflies. In his latest work, the artist used original 1950s vintage LV cutouts to spell out the word “LOVE” and created his own transparent case with golden brass corners to display the work.

Starting this year, Feral’s work will be on view in galleries across the world, in cities such as Paris, London, New York, Miami, Cannes, Monaco, Courchevel and more. For those that would like to snap up one of his pieces, the artworks don’t come cheap. You can expect to pay anywhere from $9,000 to $100,000 apiece. You can check out more of Feral’s work below or on his Instagram.