The House debuted its new collection at Art Basel Paris 2025, celebrating the brand’s second Artycapucines collaboration with the renowned Japanese artist in nearly two decades.
Louis Vuitton has been a proud associate partner of Art Basel Paris for three years, and this 2025, it’s delighted to unveil the Artycapucines VII – Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami collection. This marks the second time the brand has collaborated with Murakami in almost 20 years since the release of their first collection, which blended the Japanese artist’s whimsical world with the House’s distinctly exceptional savoir-faire.
Since the 1990s, Murakami has gained international acclaim for blending traditional Japanese art with anime, pop culture, and his signature kawaii motifs—smiling flowers, mushrooms, and sparkling eyes—creating a visual language that transcends the boundaries between high art and subculture. First invited to reinterpret the House’s Monogram in 2003, Murakami continues to bring his kaleidoscopic imagination to Louis Vuitton, a dialogue that has been echoed in the works of other leading artists featured by the brand and Fondation Louis Vuitton.
READ ALSO: Louis Vuitton Travels With Grace Coddington (And Blondie And Blanket And Jimi, Too)
Inside The World Of Takashi Murakami
To mark the special occasion, Murakami curated a unique installation which will be presented on the majestic Balcon d’Honneur at the Grand Palais.
At the center of it all is an eight-metre high sculpture of an octopus inspired by Chinese lanterns, whose tentacles will take over the exhibition space. Exclusive scenography sketches by the artist will be displayed at the threshold of this sprawling arch, accompanying visitors as they step into the vibrant world.
The monumental piece was custom-made for the space, which features carpeting with the same tentacle motifs for the exhibition. The octopus’s luminescent head will showcase Murakami’s recognizable Superflat Jellyfish Eyes pattern, which became an integral part of his visual language as early as 2001. The motif draws on the artist’s childhood: an enchanting and charming form that offsets the sense of fear that arises from being watched, creating emotionally compelling imagery that represents the artist’s creative depth.
The Kraken motif has been dear to Murakami since the creation of his 2017 collection, The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg. And in the same vein, while the artist takes inspiration from myths of disappearance and engulfment, he transforms these universal fears into a colorful world of playful, almost joyful forms.
The 11 creations from the Artycapucines VII – Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami collection will be displayed within the octopus’s tentacles, designed in dialogue with the artist’s signature characters and motifs, from Mr. DOB to the Superflat Panda and famous Smiling Flowers. The collection will unfold around three Plush Balls: spherical plush works that Murakami has been developing since 1995, and ones originally inspired by the trompe-l’œil effect in Maurits Cornelis Escher’s lithograph “Hand with Reflecting Sphere” (1935).
Meanwhile, the Capubloom and Capucines East West Rainbow bags will be exhibited next to the “Multicolor Plush Ball” (2008), the largest of these balls. Created in 2008, the piece showcases Murakami’s multicolored motif from Smiling Flowers. Specially designed for Art Basel Paris in the style of this first creation, the “Cherry Blossom Plush Ball” (2025) also features repeating floral motifs in the shape of a ball, but this time in the style of a sakura flower from the Japanese cherry tree.
Around this work, visitors will discover three versions of the House’s iconic bag: the Capucines BB Golden Garden, the Capusplit BB, and the Capucines Mini Autograph. This first exhibit is completed by the Panda Clutch, studded all over with strass and inspired by Murakami’s beloved panda character.
At the forefront of the installation, the central octopus will point one of its tentacles towards the “Plum Plush Ball” (2025), which has also been created for the exhibition.
On the left, the Capucines Mini Tentacle and Capucines MM Eye are adorned with a miniature version of the central octopus’s features, from the tentacles to the Jellyfish Eyes. On the right, the Capucines XXL Camo and Capucines East West Dragon bags take motifs from the artist’s TIME (2009) collection and his piece “Dragon in Clouds Indigo Blue” (2010).
Lastly, the Capucines Mini Mushroom translates the vision of a psychedelic forest into a leather goods masterpiece by using around 100 mushroom characters, created through 3D printing and meticulous hand-embroidery.
Artycapucines VII: A Legacy Of Championing Modern Art
Arty Capucines VII – Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami marks the perfect culmination of this artistic collaboration that began in 2003, especially after the exhibition of a monumental sculpture entitled “The Flower and the Child” in Paris’s Jardin d’Acclimatation in late 2024, as well as several re-releases of Murakami’s most popular works in 2025.
With this presentation, Louis Vuitton is renewing its commitment to contemporary creation. This strong link was first established almost a century ago, when the founder’s grandson, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, sought out the skills of artists to design window displays, advertisements, and objects for the House. Since 1988, it has continued this legacy by collaborating with internationally renowned artists and designers, going beyond its unrivaled expertise in leatherwork with the same spirit of innovation that has shaped it since its creation.
By merging Murakami’s kaleidoscopic vision with the House’s technical mastery, the collection transforms handbags into immersive works of art, inviting audiences to experience the magic that occurs when art meets fashion, and creativity knows no bounds.
Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
