Long before designer collaborations became commonplace, Louis Vuitton’s then-creative director Marc Jacobs teamed up with Takashi Murakami to debut a line of handbags that would go down in fashion history. After discovering Murakami’s work at an exhibition at Fondation Cartier in 2002, Jacobs approached the Japanese pop artist to reimagine Vuitton’s iconic monogram.
The label’s distinctive serif lettering dates back to 1896, when Georges Vuitton, son of founder Louis Vuitton, created the pattern to ward off counterfeiters. This didn’t go as planned. Even today, Vuitton handbags are some of the most common fakes, and unsurprisingly, Murakami’s designs were widely knocked out.
After all, his multicolored monograms and animated prints have been touted by the likes of Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and even “Mean Girls” Regina George, and the artist’s Louis Vuitton line has been featured on “It” It has become a girl staple. Mr. Murakami and Mr. Jacobs parodied the concept of counterfeit goods in 2008, opening a Canal Street-inspired stand full of authentic goods outside the Brooklyn Museum.
To celebrate the 2025 Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami reissue, which officially launches on January 1st, we take a look back at the legendary collaboration.
2002
A model walks the runway at Louis Vuitton’s spring 2003 fashion show.
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD
Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami made its runway debut at the brand’s Spring 2003 fashion show. The model wears Vuitton classics (Papillon, Speedy, Keepall) featuring Murakami’s cartoonish cherry blossom print and a multicolored monogram made up of 33 colors on coated canvas in white or black. I carried it. Pattern variations included the artist’s “Eye Love” design.
Jacobs and Murakami put a twist on the classic Vuitton handbag, adding ribbon accents, brass studs and feet, and extra pockets. Also unveiled is a new limited edition handbag model, the Sac Retro PM.
2003
After the release of the Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami collection, the collaboration generated over $300 million in one year.
“We were all very excited when we saw the first prototype,” Jacobs told WWD in 2003. I’m very happy that we were able to be involved in the creation of something that feels like history. ”
By the early 2000s, Jennifer Lopez was well known, thanks to her premiere album “On the 6,” that iconic Versace dress, and appearances in hit rom-coms like “The Wedding Planner” and “Made in Manhattan.” It became a household name.
Jennifer Lopez at Louis Vuitton.
Mart Alas and Marcus Piggott
Her relationship with actor Ben Affleck also became a tabloid topic, and in 2003 Lopez was chosen as the face of Louis Vuitton’s fall campaign. Lensed by acclaimed photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Lopez rocks Murakami’s black multi-colored Dalmatian Sac Rabat. This is another unique Vuitton silhouette.
“I think she’s incredibly beautiful and sophisticated,” Jacobs said in an interview with WWD. “Once she got her hair and makeup done, she really became a supermodel. She instantly transitioned into any role she was cast in.”
2004
In 2004, Murakami and Jacobs introduced the latest pieces for Vuitton. The artist’s vibrant anime panda prints appeared on a variety of accessories including pochettes, tratters, and Vavant PMs.
That year, Naomi Campbell, a close friend of Jacobs, starred in another campaign shot by Mert and Marcus featuring Murakami’s multicolors. The supermodel lounged in a white canvas trunk and carried a matching Theda bag in the home’s summer ad.
Lindsay Lohan in “Mean Girls.”
©Paramount/Courtesy of Everett Collection
“Mean Girls” became a pop culture phenomenon upon its release in 2004. The Plastics, the group that gave the film its title, were North Shore High School’s “fashion dictators” who, according to costume designer Mary Jane Fort, set trends for the rest of the school.
Queen Bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams) carries a Louis Vuitton x Murakami Cherry Blossom handbag in the film’s first mall scene, and Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) eventually follows suit, wearing a plastic bag. After completing her transformation, she promotes a multi-colored pochette.
A model on the runway at Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2005 fashion show.
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD
Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2005 runway showcased the new Murakami print ‘Cerises’. The artist’s anthropomorphic fruit, which means “cherry” in English, adorned a selection of handbags including the Speedy, Pochette, Keepall and Petit Baguette. Limited edition designs such as the Neo Deauville and Sac Fermoir also featured lizard skin accents.
2005-2006
A model on the runway at Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2006 fashion show.
Fairchild Archive
Jacobs and Murakami further experimented with multicolor prints in 2005, debuting a new Speedy model featuring rainbow suede fringe, glass beads, and crystal pendants in the shape of Vuitton’s signature monogram stars and flowers. -Long before the bag charm trend took hold.
For the label’s fall 2006 collection, Jacobs released a multicolored fur muff that doubles as a fanny pack. Featuring silver python zipper trim, this ultra-rare piece has been worn by Amber Rose and Kim Kardashian.
Virgil Abloh, now Louis Vuitton’s creative director of menswear, reinterpreted the concept in 2021, dropping a white mink zip-up printed with a multicolored monogram. Of note, this is not part of a collaboration with Murakami, hence the multicolored name.
A model on the runway at Louis Vuitton’s fall 2006 fashion show.
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD
2007
The Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art held a retrospective of Murakami’s career in 2007, which included a selection of Murakami’s Louis Vuitton designs. The bags were displayed in glass cases in front of coordinating multicolored canvases, and a pop-up Vuitton boutique was set up in the gallery. This was new for the French fashion house.
Louis Vuitton boutique inside the Takashi Murakami exhibition at MOCA, 2007.
Los Angeles Times (via Getty Imag)
The fully functioning store reflects Murakami’s high-low exploration of the relationship between art and consumerism, which has been a consistent theme throughout his work. Although controversial in the art world, the concept of in-gallery shopping appears to have been predicted by Andy Warhol, the father of pop art who was a formative influence on Murakami, who once said: , “Every department store will become a museum, and every museum will become a department store” store. ”
To commemorate the exhibition, limited edition Murakami x Vuitton designs have been released, further blurring the lines between fashion and art. The limited-edition print, titled “Moca Hands,” features the brand’s LV initials in colorful camouflage, accompanied by smiling daisies and cartoon gloves. The logo was emblazoned on monogrammed Neverfull totes and handheld trunks, and resale prices quickly soared to 50% premiums.
Nicky Hilton has Mocha Hands Neverfull in 2008.
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2008
Eva Herzigova and Marc Jacobs attend the opening gala of the Takashi Murakami retrospective held at the Brooklyn Museum in 2008.
Fairchild Archive/Penske Media
In April 2008, a Murakami retrospective landed at the Brooklyn Museum. Like the MOMA exhibition, the venue included a Louis Vuitton boutique, but the opening of the New York gala included a particularly ironic twist. In keeping with the brand’s mission to eliminate counterfeiters, Vuitton set up a Louis Vuitton boutique to poke fun at Canal Street vendors. They had fake stores set up outside the museum, but these stalls only stocked real products.
“We talked about what New York is famous for and what it’s infamous for,” Arnold Lehman, director of the Brooklyn Museum, told WWD in an interview. “When residents and visitors alike think about shopping here, today there is so much on the streets in many parts of the city that in some ways we can identify with New York. Vuitton thought this was an interesting way to characterize the problem because it was also a visual representation of the problem.
Monica wore a Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami monogrammed handbag and scarf in 2008.
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Following the opening of the Brooklyn Museum, a new line of Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami goods has been launched. As its name suggests, the Monogram Moflage collection of luggage, handbags, and other accessories featured Vuitton’s trademark letters printed on a camouflage background.
Louis Vuitton wrapped up another banner year fueled by Murakami by wrapping the facade of its New York flagship store in his multicolored monogram print. The holiday display includes the addition of a “bag bar” designed by Peter Marino inside the boutique. It was the only one of its kind with moving parts.
“We wanted to create something that was festive and exceptional, but at the same time true to the brand,” Louis Vuitton North America president and CEO Daniel Lalonde told WWD at the time. “Throughout the past year, we have collaborated with Takashi Murakami on a variety of projects, and we thought his multicolor print, featuring the Louis Vuitton monogram in 33 bright colors, would be the perfect combination of tradition and excitement. Ta.”
Louis Vuitton New York Flagship Holiday Display, 2008.
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2015
Louis Vuitton officially discontinued its collaboration with Murakami in 2015. After Jacobs left the brand in 2014, he was replaced by creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. At the time, Vuitton representatives told WWD that the brand wanted to “look to the future” and declined to comment on the end of the collection.
2025
To date, Murakami is Louis Vuitton’s longest-serving collaborator, a tradition that will continue until 2025. Earlier this month, the French fashion house unveiled its next collection, which will be officially unveiled on January 1st.
The Louis Vuitton x Murakami reissue includes new versions of the best-selling multicolor monogram handbag, as well as accessories such as scarves, belts, headbands and skateboards. The multicolored monogram also adorns Vuitton’s new handbag models, Capucines and Coussins.
Other fan-favorite prints such as the artist’s cute panda, cerise, and cherry blossom patterns also return in additional drops of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami reprint.
