Louis Vuitton iconic luggage trunks

Celebrating its 200th birthday, French fashion giant Louis Vuitton asked leading architects and designers to reimagine its iconic luggage trunks for a new exhibition.

Titled 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries, the exhibition is currently running in a building branded with the house’s iconic striped trunk motive on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, near the company’s flagship store in Beverly Hills, and features designs by leading names such as Frank Gehry, Fornasetti and Sou Fujimoto.

“The project unfolded as part of the celebrations around the 200th birthday of Louis Vuitton,” said Faye McLeod, Louis Vuitton’s visual director. 

“Louis’s lasting legacy is the trunk – the flat-top, canvas trunk that he designed – and so it seemed the evident medium to work with. From there, the idea progressed to collaborate with 200 visionaries who would design their own trunk – a vast, visual tribute to creativity and the man behind the Maison,” McLeod explains.

“These were then displayed in our global store windows, before being regrouped for 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition.”

Some of the most interesting designs include Lego’s trunk complete with building blocks, Jean-Michel Othonel’s India-themed trunk constructed out of gold-coloured glass bricks, Robert Moy’s balloon trunk, a black trunk inspired by the one used by the magician Harry Houdini designed by Peter Marino and Frank Gehry’s tea-party-themed creation.

These are all on display alongside some of the original trunks in various themed rooms in the building.