Louis Vuitton is no stranger to spectacular pop-ups, and it’s now added a new Tokyo retrospective to the list.
For the past few years, the French fashion label has opened unique exhibition experiences from New York City to California that have displayed everything from modernized trunks to iconic kicks designed by the late Virgil Abloh. Now the maison has tapped longtime collaborator Yayoi Kusama for a striking new pop-up that’s in a world of its own.
The vibrant new pop-up is set in Kusama’s hometown of Harajuku, Tokyo, with larger-than-life installations and colorful decorations made to catch your eye. The experience begins the moment you arrive, as the building’s exterior dons yellow polka-dotted print decorations, alongside a massive co-branded sign alluding to the latest Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collab. A look inside the space reveals their latest offerings—and perhaps Kusama’s creative genius.
A massive sculpture of the Japanese artist awaits you on the ground floor, sporting the creative’s signature red hair and a pair of bedazzled sunglasses. The polka dots on the piece’s shirt match the surrounding walls, which feature an inverted version of the print. You’ll also notice an array of mirrored balls fill the rooms, reminiscent of Kusama’s iconic Narcissus Garden installation that debuted in 1966. The spheres are used elsewhere in the space to form a striking take on Louis Vuitton’s signature LV iconography.
Throughout the Tokyo pop-up, the mannequins are styled in the latest ready-to-wear and leather goods from Louis Vuitton and Kusama’s most recent collab. The styles merge the label’s signature silhouettes with Kusama’s iconographic designs and colorful brushstrokes. In addition to handbags and apparel, the latest Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama offerings also include accessories and fragrances. This is Kusama and Louis Vuitton’s second collab, following their first release—under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs—that offered special-edition Speedy, Keepall and Neverfull handbags.
The duo’s latest collection first launched in Japan and China; it’s now available at all the brand’s other global outposts. If you want to check out those yellow polka dots for yourself, you can visit the Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama Harajuku pop-up shop, at 6-35-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, from now until January 22.
