To bring the Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2022 men’s collection to life, Virgil Abloh assembled a veritable supergroup of collaborators.
The collection is captured via a new fashion show/short film titled “Amen Break,” directed by Mahfuz Sultan. The 16-minute film features GZA, Goldie, Saul Williams, Issa Perica, Caleb Femi, Unknown T, JIM JOE, Kandis Williams, Thelma Buabeng, Octavia Burgel, Lupe Fiasco, Julian Eugene Tsukasa Williams, Damian Eugene Nagisa Williams, Shabaka Hutchings, Malik Le Nost, and more.
The narrative of the film, per a press release, is built on an “abstract interpretation” of the story of Lupe Fiasco, whose father organized martial arts studies on the South Side of Chicago as an alternative path for young people.
The soundtrack was curated by musical director Benji B, whose assembled collection of sounds references everything from GZA’s Liquid Swords (including the track “4th Chamber”) to Metalheadz-era drum ’n’ bass. GZA’s classic 1995 album also informed the entire show, which—like the cover art—incorporates a chess theme.
The title of the fashion show/short film, “Amen Break,” takes its name from one of the most sampled (and immediately identifiable) six-second drum breaks in music history. The break first appeared on the song “Amen, Brother” by the Winstons but didn’t achieve cross-genre ubiquity until decades later.
Below, see select looks from the collection, as well as a handful of backstage shots from the show. Prominently featured in the Spring/Summer 2022 experience is the showcasing of a number of previously unseen Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s.
