Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami announce new handbag line at Art Basel

Luxury house Louis Vuitton has reunited with artist Takashi Murakami to launch a new handbag collection at Art Basel Paris, marking the 20th anniversary of their influential partnership. This seventh-edition Artycapucines release features eleven reinterpretations of the Capucines silhouette, each transformed into a wearable art piece that merges Murakami’s expressive visual language with Louis Vuitton’s leather expertise.

Explore Louis Vuitton and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami's groundbreaking collaboration

Among the standout designs is the Capucines Mini Mushroom, finished with hundreds of hand-polished resin mushrooms attached to mirrored canvas. The Mini Tentacle explores Murakami’s recurring octopus imagery, where sculptural tentacles flow from a pastel leather base to create a striking, almost animated form. The BB Golden Garden version incorporates gold-leaf marquetry and lacquered floral motifs inspired by traditional Japanese screens. Every piece showcases a mix of manual craftsmanship, sculptural construction and high-technology processes that shift the Capucines further into art-collectible territory.

Murakami’s long-running approach to blending high art with commercial objects continues here with handbags that act as cultural artefacts as much as accessories. For Louis Vuitton it reinforces a direction rooted in creativity, scarcity and collaborations that resonate beyond the runway.

With global resale markets showing a strong appetite for limited releases and legacy partnerships, demand is expected to be competitive across Asia, Europe and the United States. For Murakami, the collaboration revisits his early era with Louis Vuitton while advancing it through bold materials and theatrical embellishment.

Designs such as the Mini Mushroom, Tentacle or Golden Garden will likely sit in wardrobes, gallery-style displays or private collections, each bag representing a creative dialogue between two global powerhouses.

(Story by Esha Aphale)

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