Proceeds from the collaboration will go towards poverty reduction and refugee rights.
Louis Vuitton and Sotheby’s have announced a collaboration to raise money for charities all over the world. Enlisting the expertise of 22 leading contemporary artists, they were tasked with remaking the luxury brand’s classic Capucines bag.
All pieces from the collection, called Artycapucines, will be available for auction and each sale will go to the charity of the artists’ choice. The bags, created specially for this auction, are one of a kind.
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The artists and their work
The list of participating artists includes Amélie Bertrand, Daniel Buren, Sam Falls, Urs Fischer, Gregor Hildebrandt, Donna Huanca, Huang Yuxing, Alex Israel, Liu Wei, Peter Marino, Beatriz Milhazes, Vik Muniz, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Park Seo-Bo, Paola Pivi, Ugo Rondinone, Tschabalala Self, Josh Smith, Jonas Wood, Kennedy Yanko, Zeng Fanzhi, and Zhao Zhao.
The creatives are free to customize the bag with their own artisanal techniques, leaving their signature (figuratively and literally) on their handiwork.
Rondinone’s design features a harlequin pattern, a reference to his fascination with clowns. He created his Artycapucines bag by hand-embroidering nearly 15,000 small beads to the bag’s leather body.
Meanwhile, Bertrand’s creation is the first-ever Capucines to glow in the dark, which was done through an innovative pigment treatment.
Pivi’s 2007 work “One Cup of Cappuccino Then I Go” inspired her bag for Louis Vuitton. The artist reflected on the experience, saying that it felt like “exploring a jungle of possibilities.” In the end, they went with a leopard design which she was very happy with.
The special charity auction will run from June 28 to July 12. During the online sale, all 22 bags will be available for public viewing at Sotheby’s Paris from July 1 to 5.
Banner image via Instagram @amelie_bertrand.
