Louis Vuitton has set out to help the Red Cross - specifically, the Nigerian Red Cross Fighting Malnutrition Programme. Last week, the luxury brand held a special one-off auction at Sotheby's New Bond Street location, with proceeds from pieces commission by global creatives selling for charity.
Annie Liebovitz had Louis Vuitton design a "nomadic photographer's bag", Damien Hirst opted for a medical cabinet made of cowhide leather, and Marc Jacobs requested a "travelling home" carrying case for his bull terriers, Daisy and Alfred. Others asked to commission pieces for the auction included Patrick-Louis Vuitton, Ferran Adria and Gustavo Santaolalla.
With prices starting at £10,000, we're not saying pieces were going cheap. But for the Red Cross' 150th anniversary? That's something people will spring for.
Louis Vuitton is one label that seems to have come out unscathed in the recent economic downturn. Owned by the LVHM luxury group, one would have thought that the company's ownership of other luxury brands such as Moet and Chandon and Hennessy, are in part, the reason the group is still very much surviving the recession.
Creative director, Marc Jacobs, however, told the London Times that understanding the mystical power the brand has amassed over the years and the reasons behind its success, was a real challenge. He explained that, "It took me years to work out what was so special about Vuitton. But when you go to the workshops outside Paris and see how everything is crafted, it is pretty impressive. Added to that, it's easily identifiable and I guess human instinct is to want to be a part of an exclusive club that's also highly recognisable. " He continued saying that, "'Almost crazy' rich people want their four-figured bags to be exclusive. But exclusive to the cult, because many of these people carry around the same bags."
We recently reported that the 'big' labels had started to confirm their chosen faces for their respective Spring/Summer 2010 ad campaigns. First up was Chanel, who decided that three would be its magic number and settled on a trio of models including Claudia Schiffer. Then came Versace, who confirmed that Georgia May Jagger would be taking her place centre stage as the new face of the label. Dolce and Gabbana recently settled on none other than the original 'Material Girl', Madonna who is now no longer the face of Louis Vuitton- a position she held for seasons.
Desperate to unravel the mystery, Tina Peng, party reporter for The Cut managed to have a quick chat with Daniel Lalonde, president and CEO of the brand, who hinted that Lara Stone, as speculated, might just take the title at Louis Vuitton this season after all.
In case you'd forgotten about ex-'The City' star Erin Lucas, we spotted her out and about this week at theLouis Vuitton2010 cruise collection launch at Louis Vuitton Saks Lifestyle in New York.
Madonna is fast becoming serious competition for established models worldwide, following her scoop of two major ad campaigns this year alone. First was the Louis Vuitton campaign, which saw the ultra limber pop star striking some seriously elegant poses whilst maintaining her sultry pout. Yes we were envious! And even more so now. She is currently starring as Dolce and Gabbana's new spring ad campaign, which was shot in Brooklyn (New York) last weekend, by Steven Klein, and saw Madonna sporting the duo's Sicillian inspired collection.
The shoot must be have been truly enthralling as Stefano Gabbana couldn't resist post up-to-the-minute tweets, one of which read, "We are at the last shot... M [Madonna] is simply beautiful" and "we're very, very tired but happy as well...To have Madonna in our campaign is a dream come true."
Maggie Gyllenhaal covered up her basic black with a plum-coloured trench at last night's New York launch party for the Louis Vuitton 2010 Cruise Collection.
To say that Lara Stone is the girl of the moment, is an understatement. Having walked for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Miu Miu, Givenchy,Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld and Jaeger, to name but a few, and starred in ad campaigns ranging from H&M (Sonia Rykiel collaboration) and Revlon, to Jean Paul Gautier and DKNY, it is clear that the industry is head over heels in love with Ms Stone (and rightly so too!) She has most recently been ranked 3rd in a Top 50 Female Models poll put together by models.com, and deemed by W magazine (in it's August 2009 issue) as the 'most wanted face of the moment'.
With so many accolades, and a bank balance that is clearly bulging inspite of the recession, it was a surprise for us to learn that the 27 year old was admitted to rehab earlier this year, to treat alcoholism.
It seems that the major fashion houses are all trying to out-do each other on who can bag the youngest and edgiest model (preferably with real rock star genes) to represent them. First to do so was Versace, who announced recently that Georgia May Jagger would front its upcoming campaign and now it would seem that Louis Vuitton is hot on their heels.
Having only just announced that Lara Stone would be replacing the Queen of Pop, Madonna, as the face of the luxury label, it's clear that LV is hell bent on revamping the look of the label. It has now been confirmed, by Daisy's agent, that the husky-voiced, porcelain-skinned model, (who is currently the face of Agent Provocateur) Daisy Lowe, will be shooting in Miami this weekend.
The pics will be used as part of the press kit showcasing the brand's new ready-to-wear beach range, which is due to hit the stores in April 2010. Her agent said, "Daisy attended the Louis Vuitton show in Paris and wears their clothes, so she's thrilled about being booked for this job. It's a fantastic brand for her to be working for and she's pleased to be flying the British flag for such a world wide label."
Steven Meisel is an American photographer most noted for his work for Vogue US and Italia, having shot every cover of Italia since 1988. Other famous collaborations include Madonna’s album covers for ‘Like a Virgin’ and her greatest hits album GHV2, as well as shooting her for the Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 campaign. More recently he has shot fall 09 campaigns for Mulberry, Prada and Balenciaga to name a few. His images often draw upon current cultural events, art and film and have occasionally caused controversy. One such editorial was featured in Vogue Italia September 2006, which examined restricted liberties in post 9/11 America. The shoot (top left) featured models posing as terrorists, and police snipers. However despite this he is admired as being one of the most influential and forward thinking photographers of today, with models desperate to appear in his masterpieces.
