The recent Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 show in Aranya, China featured remarkably crafted and uniquely moving sculptures from the folks over at PlayLab Inc.
Opening the show, which is available to revisit in full above, was a short video piece from filmmaker Jia Zhangke. Toward the end of the introductory short, two young children realize their extensive journey across multiple environments has brought them within eyesight of what’s quickly revealed to be the breathtaking setting of the runway show itself. At this point, the footage transitioned into a livestream of the proceedings.
Per a report from Women’s Wear Daily, the multi-platform livestream amassed over 278 million viewers. Following the success and continued chatter surrounding the show’s utilization of massive sculptures as part of the runway show’s meticulously crafted environment, the team at PlayLab Inc. later shared a video giving fans a glimpse at the extensive construction process behind the towering works of art.
This doesn’t mark the first time PlayLab Inc. has been enlisted by Louis Vuitton. The Los Angeles-based creative studio, founded in 2009, also worked extensively with the late Virgil Abloh, whose years of multi-titled creativity included hugely influential work as Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of menswear.
“Fashion has always been a place where you can simultaneously experiment with not just commerce but art,” PlayLab Inc. co-founder Jeff Franklin told Complex’s Lei Takanashi in a 2019-shared interview. “It transports people to an alternate reality that could feel real. I think it’s a really interesting theater to play with.”
Up top, see the full Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 experience, which marks a sequel of sorts to the collection’s Paris debut. The show features music from Sleeping Dogs, while musical direction was handled by Benji B.
