virgil abloh has installed psychedelic art installations at several locations including new york and japan as part of a conceptual retail experience. sitting high above new york city’s 5th avenue, the standout is a 12-story holographic figure which serves as a reference for abloh’s S/S 2019 collection for louis vuitton.
the louis vuitton men’s spring/summer 2019 collection is inspired by the 1939 cinematic musical classic ‘the wizard of oz’ with pieces in the collection featuring bright red poppy fields and rainbow slashes. to celebrate the collection’s launch, abloh has also created special window displays consisting of saturated skies, fields of flowers and the yellow brick road. as part of the spectacle, a 12-story technicolor figure is displayed on the corner of louis vuitton’s new york store, creating an optical illusion of a gigantic manikin on the street designed to be viewed from an exact point that reveals the correct perspective.
the installation was shared by abloh who took to social media to share glimpses of the installation whilst also posting artworks installed in japan and china. a similar sculpture takes on a crouching pose, set over two floors at japan’s harajuku station.
images courtesy of @virgilabloh
‘every design studio i have is working full speed right now,’ virgil abloh said in an instagram post earlier today. ‘there’s a lot happing in the next 3 weeks so I’ll just post it all in now specific order.‘
LOUIS VUITTON(49)
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Nov 13, 2020VIRGIL ABLOH(39)
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Wow. How inappropriate for that neighborhood. But I guess designboom editorially views it as an “artwork” and not as an “eyesore.”