Louis Vuitton Presents Its Men’s Spring-Summer 2022 Collection

Lindsay Judge   |   24-06-2021

Louis Vuitton Men’s collection by Virgil Abloh Spring-Summer 2022 titled Amen Break features iconic staples and reinvented classics.

 

The collection was revealed in Virgil Abloh’s latest collection a cinematic presentation where kung fu and raving collide.

 

Based on an unusual concept, “Amen Break” saw the Men’s Artistic Director zoom in and out on archetypes and subcultures known to us all, highlighting at once their cultural context and collective re-contextualisation.

 

 

A chapter in the Black Canon’s preservation and teaching of Black art history on a par with that of Europe, the Amen Break exemplifies the arts’ instinct to sample and resample a core design.

 

 

In this case, when it’s applied to fashion, the staples of suits, tracksuits, shirts and t-shirts are re-interpreted on a never-ending loop and the Amen Break becomes a metaphor for the myth of ownership in contemporary creativity.

 

Two core themes of martial arts and raving are present throughout the bold collection. Abloh looked to the rise of electro in the late eighties and the pioneering DJ’s of the time.

 

 

This was juxtaposed with the martial arts craze of the nineties, specifically the 1995 album Liquid Swords by Brooklyn-born hip-hop artist GZA. Underpinned by the teachings of martial arts, and inspired by the 1993 film Legends of the Liquid Sword, the record also integrated elements from the 1980 film Shotgun Assassin and dealt with philosophical themes analogised through the game of chess.

 

The graphic chequered pattern of a chessboard was a great source of inspiration and informed a variety of motifs, while the physical form of the game manifests in silhouettes through skirts, hats and gloves.

 

 

GZA employed the virtues of composure native to martial arts to express values of mental strength through physical self-discipline. GZA features in the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 film.

 

The collection breaks down key menswear staples from these eras including the tracksuit which is juxtaposed with the tailored suit for Abloh’s collection. The contrast between formal and casual is reflected throughout and fluidity of styles and genders are key elements of the collection.

 

 

Virgil Abloh collaborated with Nike to create a bespoke design of the iconic Nike Air Force 1 basketball trainer. This new design fused together with the trainer’s classic codes with Louis Vuitton modernity, and pays tribute to Hip-Hop culture.

See more of the collection below: