I don’t know what’s harder, chopping up heaps of Louis Vuitton bags or coming up with creation after amazing creation of creatures from the leather goods...
British artist Billie Achilleos, an art graduate and creator of ‘thingamajigs’, had to do both.
These new critters were designed for the launch of Louis Vuitton’s Mon Monogram service for small leather goods.
Known for lavish galas, luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton had other plans for the celebration of its small goods collection’s 100th anniversary.
With some help from creative consultancy Chameleon Visual, British artist Billie Achilleos received the commission for “Maroquinaris Zoologicae”
-a miniature zoo full of small mammals, birds, reptiles, crustaceans, even insects, all pieced together with wallets, purses, belts, and accessories from the Vuitton archive.
Keeping alive the skills of a forgotten craft, Archilleos embodies the new generation of traditional artisans, forever inventing and creating.
In all, this amazing assembly consisted of 29 caricatures.
They went on display at the famous Parisian taxidermy store Deyrolle back in October, right next to some of their real-life counterparts, enlivening the conversations between party goers as the store hosted the 100th year celebration.
Recently included as part of the holiday display in Louis Vuitton Omotesando, the exhibit will be on a world tour again for the duration of next year.
-I believe the Chameleon is current in Harrods, Knightsbridge.
This group of four new animals follows on from the twenty launched at Louis Vuitton’s New Bond Street store in October 2010.
Each cute critter represents an element in design of the ‘Mon Monogram’ leather goods:
The Armadillo was to highlight the soft, yet durable quality of the leather.
The Armadillo was to highlight the soft, yet durable quality of the leather. 
The Chameleon displays the variety of colour used within the collection.
The Grasshopper is constructed from products with zips and poppers that make satisfying noises like that of the musically gifted insect.
Finally the Beaver, who’s functionality chops wood, builds dams...and provides cleaver ways of organising ones life in men’s bags and wallets.
OMG!!! These are awesome!! I totally heart the chameleon. Thank you so much for this post.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nicely done! It reminds me a bit of Hermes though, who did quite te same but turned their products into other products, like a mens tie.
ReplyDeletelooks great.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comments! Mirthe, i didn't know Hermes also did this; I will investigate!
ReplyDelete