Here’s the Louis Vuitton x Supreme Collab Everyone’s Freaking Out About

Yesterday morning, a rumored partnership went public at the Louis Vuitton Fall 2017 menswear presentation. Turns out Hypebeast spoke the truth — the French fashion house has, in fact, joined forces with famed streetwear label Supreme. The result? A collection of sure-to-sell-out accessories (along with a few of the cult skate brand’s patently sports-themed-slash-random collectibles).

“You can’t have the conversation of New York men’s wear without Supreme right now, because it’s such a massive global phenomenon,” Kim Jones, artistic director for menswear at Louis Vuitton, told WWD of the collab.

Just as they did when Nicolas Ghesquière dropped his (très) Petite Malles iPhone cases, the fashion world is totally freaking out. It’s not hard to see why: the Louis Vuitton x Supreme collection is filled with simple, unisex, everyday pieces any logomaniac would kill for. It includes all manner of co-branded bags (fanny packs, backpacks, shoulder bags, bespoke trunks), as well as hats, keychains, scarves, sunglasses, skateboard decks, baseball bats, blankets and, of course, a Supreme redTM version of that coveted Petite Malle case.

That said, the line does have its dissenters. New York Times writer Guy Trebay called it “the fashion version of a murder-suicide.” After all, back in 2000, the brands famously beefed (we’re talking lawyers, a cease-and-desist order, the whole nine yards) over a Supreme skateboard deck that mimicked Louis Vuitton’s iconic “LV” logo. At the time, Goliath (LV) beat out David (Supreme) and a grudge was born. Thus, Trebay and others see the collaboration as an act of blatant selloutry, a desperate attempt by Jones to keep LV looking cool and, in Supreme’s case, a betrayal of its core fanbase. “Certainly, there will be those who find it essential to possess a piece of Supreme for Louis Vuitton. Odds are they won’t be the passionate die-hards who line up outside Supreme’s Lafayette Street flagship in Manhattan on Thursday mornings, waiting for the latest unhyped product to drop, the very consumers who keep the brand’s cred alive,” wrote Trebay. (That’s The New York Times for, “You don’t even skate, bro.”) He has a point.

Ostentatious publicity (and money) grab or no, the collection is bound to go quick once it hits select Louis Vuitton stores — and perhaps a few pop-ups — on July 17. (“We’ll probably make separate stores in areas where both of them are popular,” said Jones.) Luke Leitch of Vogue reports that small leather goods will go for between €200 and €300, while backpacks and such will cost between €1,500 and €3,000. We shudder to think what the resale prices will look like. Ebay shoppers, put your less-loved kidneys on ice now.

See what all the fuss is about in the slideshow below.

All Images: Imaxtree

[ via Fashionista ]

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