Louis Vuitton launch three limited editions of this urban wardrobe icon, designed respectively in collaboration with the artists Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones and the joint ownership of Rammellzee. Reflecting the creative dialogue regularly devoted to the LV Trainer, all of these exclusive models will be unveiled from February 24 to March 16, 2023 in the Louis Vuitton pop-up store set up in Milan, inside the Garage Traversi. Throughout the duration of the event, the space will become the exclusive point of sale for these collector LV Trainers.
The White Canvas Collection: LV Trainer in Residence
Louis Vuitton unveil White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence, a new regular collection of limited-edition reinterpretations of the LV Trainer designed by famous artists. Inspired by an idea by Virgil Abloh – the former Men’s Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton – and produced in partnership with Sky Gellatly, the project showcases the low-top white leather version of the LV Trainer. This iconic model thus stands as a blank canvas perpetuating the creative dialogue initiated between Louis Vuitton and contemporary artists of international renown. A bold invitation to total freedom of expression, these partnerships testify to the strong historical ties that Louis Vuitton maintains with the world of art and which continue to evolve according to artistic universes and influences.
For the first installment of White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence, Louis Vuitton invited three pioneers of the New York underground scene of the 1980s to deliver their own vision of the LV Trainer.
Originally designed by Virgil Abloh for the Spring/Summer 2019 collection – his very first show for Louis Vuitton – the LV Trainer combines the vintage codes of basketball shoes with the iconography and know-how of the House. The ultimate expression of luxury sneakers according to Virgil Abloh, the LV Trainer has never stopped reinventing itself through Louis Vuitton’s Men’s collections, until it has become a true icon for sneaker enthusiasts – a mythical status that is now confirmed. by the White Canvas: LV in Residence project. Now recognized as an essential must-have in the House’s Men’s collections, the LV Trainer is made of leather and available in two variations, one low and the other high. Each pair of LV Trainer is made in Italy, in the House’s Fiesso d’Artico factory. No less than seven hours are needed to make it.
The White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence exhibition
From February 24 to March 16, 2023, Louis Vuitton will host the White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence exhibition in Milan, inside the Garage Traversi. The event will coincide with the launch of the eponymous collection co-signed by contemporary artists, each offering their unique interpretation of the famous LV Trainer. The first stop of this creative journey organized under the aegis of Sky Gellatly will feature new models of the LV Trainer designed by Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones – both present at the inauguration – and the joint ownership of Rammellzee . On this occasion, the original versions painted by hand by the graffiti artists will be revealed alongside other works by the same authors and multimedia installations evoking these artistic collaborations. The models marketed in limited edition will be sold exclusively in this space.
The White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence project developed by Louis Vuitton is inspired by an idea by Virgil Abloh. The House’s previous Male Artistic Director had, in fact, asked Sky Gellatly to organize this initiative “in order to pay tribute to a cohort of artists, first in the context of an exhibition, then to broaden the access to their works through the prism of collaborative sneakers”. CEO and co-founder of ICNCLST/ – a dual marketing and art management agency – Gellatly has orchestrated some of the most notable events in the art world.
This exhibition dedicated to the original adaptations of the LV Trainer will reveal, in particular, the paintings Celtic Piece by Lady Pink, SPLIT #1 and Tablet 3 by Lee Quiñones, Incantation of the Queen Bee by Rammellzee as well as the sculptures “L” and “V” of his Letters Racers alphabet. Both present at the inauguration, Lady Pink and Lee Quiñones will each execute a work on vast blank canvases. These creations made in front of the audience can be admired throughout the event. In addition, short videos will retrace the journey of the sneakers, from their artisanal creation to their marketed form. Spectators will thus discover the know-how of Louis Vuitton craftsmen, while watching filmed interviews with the artists. Finally, an immersive video fresco will project an imaginary XXL model of the LV Trainer enhanced with illustrations by graffiti artists.
In the spirit of New York’s industrial art galleries faithful to the style of the artists, this exhibition will be held in Piazza San Babila in Milan, within the Garage Traversi. This space built in the 1930s by architects Giuseppe De Min and Alessandro Rimini was once the first fully automated car garage in Italy. Recently restored to house an ephemeral Louis Vuitton store during the redevelopment of the Via Montenapoleone flagship, the building was also the scene of exclusive events dedicated to the collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama. Le Malletier chose the Milanese city to host its White Canvas exhibition in tribute to the Louis Vuitton factory in Fiesso d’Artico where its emblematic LV Trainer model is made.
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