Botanical ENCOUNTERS

Why did you choose Isola Bella for the Cruise 2024 show?

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There’s a genuine aff inity with Italy, which is as important as France to fashion: we share a very strong tradition and culture. I had been thinking about it for a while because, surprisingly, Louis Vuitton had never shown in Italy. I wanted a special place, something new. Also, different architecture, a different context. The paradoxical idea of a “botanical Cruise” really intrigued me! The Borromean Islands came to mind, and particularly Isola Bella because I had heard amazing stories about it. The very suggestion of the island is a journey — a lake, a palace, gardens. A fabulous destination, with mosaic-covered grottoes, statues, a unicorn — the Borromeo family emblem — terraces, an atrium. I am so pleased to be able to show my collection there, and it ’s the f irst time they have ever hosted such an event.

How did you blend the history and atmosphere of this island into this collection?

It’s another — certainly more fanciful — architectural adventure. It’s a place where I f ind personal aff inities like The Tales of Hoffmann and hanging gardens nearby that served as set décor in