That Past, Present, Future

IT'S THE PAST. IT'S THE PRESENT. IT'S THE FUTURE. Louis Vuitton Series 3 - Past, Present, Future brought together all three in an immersive exhibition reinterpreting the fashion show. Third in artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière's Series installations, the exhibit showcased the influences and creative process behind the house's Autumn-Winter 2015 collection.

Craftsmen in film, and in person, meticulously created luxurious leather goods. Models put on an infinite runway show on multiple screens. 3D-printed "avatars" melded out of walls with eye candy accessories. It's thematic how past, present and future were assembled in the exhibit. Past existed in heritage influences and the creative process, present manifested through a collection currently available in-store, and future radiated through technology, all stamped with the Louis Vuitton savoir faire.

"This isn't about celebrating the heritage of Louis Vuitton - we've done that and we do that but it's not what the exhibition is about." explained Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke. "This isn't a Vuitton lesson. I just want them to feel it."

The feeling was definitely there, of curiosity and desire. Watching "Artists' Hands" construct the petite malle felt strangely hypnotic, as did watching the models walk on loop like life-sized GIFs. The 13-room journey through Series 3 transcended many aspects of the fashion show, from schedule to duration and accessibility. Where traditional shows offer short previews to a limited audience, months before a collection is available, the exhibit provided the public a month-long presentation of what they can actually purchase in the present.

Perhaps "the future" also figures in the exhibit's transendence of a fashion show. It's not something that whizzes by in minutes, captured by a hashtagging front row. We're not seeing it through our mobile phones while sitting in a bus or loitering in bed. "In this digital era, fashion shows are diffused online and immediately accessible for the public." Points out Ghesquière. "But it takes more than that to feel the ambiance and share the intense creativity, energy and emotion around one show."

Besides, you can't taste food off a screen. Those light bites on that Louis Vuitton menu were actually quite yum. #onetrackmind

Louis Vuitton Series 3 - Past, Present, Future at 180 Strand, September 21 - October 18, 2015. uk.louisvuitton.com Photos by Lady San Pedro.

LOUIS VUITTON SERIES 3 IS CHAPTER ONE OF CHRISTMAS TRIO:
A THREE-PART STORY FEATURING SOME OF LONDON'S BIGGEST AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS.

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