Louis Vuitton returns to Sprouse for day-glo reminisce

Next week sees the launch of Louis Vuitton's latest limited edition collaboration - a reminiscent collection celebrating the work of the late artist and designer Stephen Sprouse - further to the original collaboration in 2001.

After creative chief Marc Jacobs worked with Sprouse earlier this decade the re-juiced collection is described as "a realisation of ideas they perceived when they worked together in 2001," or more specifically it's re-run made modern again for today's global youth tribes with dayglo graffiti and rose prints. Here's a selection of pieces I found in the press showroom - in stores January 15.

These "legacy" motifs are re-interpreted in fluro pink, green, orange and yellow - across shoes, sneakers, t-shirts and leather goods such as the iconic "Speedy" carry all - and have a distinctly clubber-friendly appeal for the affluent customers Louis Vuitton counts from China to Russia to India and Tokyo, not to mention New York where they will surely be a nocternal hit. Especially these shoes - spring 09 will be the season of the Sprouse shoe for Louis Vuitton!

"I tried to use the things in Stephen's vocabulary, and give the collection the shape, silhouette and styling that Stephen would have done when he was at the top of his game. It really is a complete homage, and a complete combination of what is Louis Vuitton, and what is this legendary icon, and then what are the icons and the lasting aesthetics that Stephen left in the fashion world," said Marc Jacobs.

The collection is timed to coincide with the opening of a Sprouse retrospective called Rock on Mars at Deitch Projects' 18 Wooster Street Gallery in New York and the release of The Stephen Sprouse Book by Roger and Mauricio Padilha, which is published by Rizzoli. A limited-edition series of books featuring a special Louis Vuitton cover will also be available in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

All Saints has eyes on the US in 09

East London rock-chick label All Saints is going global with late 2008 having seen a raft of European store openings (Paris, Antwerp, Copenhagen) ahead of a New York flagship due by summer.

The Shoreditch favourite worn by celebrities and fashionista types across the UK (100+ stores) has gone from strength to strength as the goth-meets-glam clubber label becomes better known for its dark Satanic graphics, draped jersey or knitwear pieces, military sharp tailoring and lived in denim mixed with embellished partywear dresses.


For spring 09 we love the skull and cross-bones pirates and sirens graphic t-shirt dresses (sure to be a hit from LA to NY - now shipping on the All Saints website, as well as the optic paint-splash printed cottons or jersey dresses for understated cool. And battered leather jackets and fringed western style suede gilets have a great vintage look. Ruched, asymmetric seamed and raw-edge knitwear has varying thickness - perfect for layering, while marl jerseywear separates comprise a new sleepwear range for lounging (dorm life anyone?). Highlights to snaffle early include washed out draped leather biker jackets and parachute volume hem dresses. Prom-dresses with harnesses for attitude have never looked so good.

Pop-ups are good for you

The Americans are much better at gifting than the Brits which would explain the plethora of pop-up stores this Holiday season in New York. And the UK high-street can learn a thing or two from the savvy US retail marketing industry that would prefer to throw a temporary bricks and mortar option at consumers than say a couple of days of frenzied voucher shopping.

It's December and that means any excuse to entice customers out to shop - but why not make it an enjoyable one and dare I say it – give something back to credit-crunch weary consumers? Consumer insight agency The Future Laboratory recently called it "Freesumerism" on their new lifestyle trends site LSN:Global and the practice of utilising third parties to provide useful, free products or services in return for a bit of a branded retail experience is something consumers are open to in their overly marketed lives.





So take note from the WIRED store in New York - rich in gadgets and man-friendly products hosted by the US magazine this Holiday season for the third year in a row; or similarly manly but with a touch more jet-set class is the Monocle pop-up shop from Tyler Brûlé's well considered magazine. Open for six month's on Marylebone High Street in London, the store is intended to showcase a selection of connoisseur type products and limited edition gifts. Brûlé calls it "neighbourhoodsy" and "adding something new to the mix". Meanwhile for another target market all together check out Teen Vogue's Haute Holiday store full of the magazine's pick of advertisers' targeted products in a fluffy teen hang-out kinda space. And who do you think was behind Mo’s Place for Everyman charity event Movember? The moustache trimming specialist Wilkinson Sword, and a branding team on-site who gave tips for free with every trimmer.

The big guns are always at it too: Gap Red has got in on the act with its dedicated Holiday shop and who could fault the fashion week publicity bonanza that was Target's Bodegas.

Some pop-ups are there to show associated brand kudos - trendy denim brand Earnest Sewn uses its backroom as an evolving designer showcase and has just launched a "recession proof pop-up" selling off a selection of this year's roster of designers.

Essentially pop-ups serve as a constantly changing marketing space and can be used as more than just a PR tool – Absolut’s recent vintage boutique House of Masquerade three-day party pop-up was a textbook of example of how to throw third party cash around and create an experience. More marketers and retailers should get together and innovate in today’s competitive retail climate that is crying out for experience – we don’t mind the ads as long as we get something for free.

Pop-up dining projects are pure collaboration in London

It's pop-up time in London and the run up to Christmas is a feast of restaurant collaborations and blink-and-they'll-be-booked-up dining experience locations. So two new destinations to make sure you visit (before the in-crowd has moved on) are The Double Club in Angel and Flash in Mayfair. One is a bar-club meets relaxed diner "installation" sponsored by the Fondazione Prada; while the other is an art-fashion crowd gallery come restaurant from the Bistroteque crew.

Flash is the latest pop-up restaurant made into a makeshift reality by Pablo Flack, David Waddington and Tom Collins, hidden away in the GSK Contemporary gallery at the back of the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Gardens. Flash follows on from Bistroteque's first festive pop-up restaurant Reindeer but instead of snow covered ornaments this year's effort has a "refined" air as Waddington puts it, with a California-influenced menu and an all-star collaboration team: the rising London architecture star David Kohn built the set from art-storage crates, the fashion designer Giles Deacon created a "psychedelic Death Star" chandelier, and the Wedgwood china has been customized by the illustrator Will Broome. Everything will be auctioned on eBay when Flash closes on January 19, with proceeds donated to the Royal Academy.


Meanwhile just opened in an old warehouse behind Angel tube (and in situ for six months only) is The Double Club. Conceived by experimentalist Carsten Höller and bankrolled by the philanthropic art home of Fondazione Prada it's a collaboration space showing the contrasting appeal of both Congalese and Western cultures.

With one side of the room dedicated to a Congalese wooden bar made from timber shipped from Kinshasa and colourful artworks across the walls the juxtaposition of contrasting cultures is clear with the lavish "Two Horses Riders Club" copper design bar in the Western corner. Add in the carved out segregated floor, partnered menus and twinned club areas and you get the idea for mixing it up at The Double Club.



"Instead of doing an art exhibition it's good to do something which disappears with reality - and get confused doing it. It's not an art space, it's a mix of cultures," says Germano Celant from the Fondazione Prada. He continued the idea was to produce something real in an art world where prices are sky rocketing. "It's promoting art but more the dialogue between two cultures and the questions that in itself raises in people's knowledge of these cultures."

Höller describes it as "About having a juxtaposition of two things at once and celebrating one's state of indecisiveness" he thinks it's a human condition "to be double".

It's certainly a double dose of cultural treats if the menu is anything to go by - and that's before you've hit the revolving dancefloor.

Playful windows - from fantasy Card characters to cartoon superheroes

Bruton Street in Mayfair came over all fantasy last week with set designer Gary Card taking up residence in Stella McCartney's windows while Diane Von Furstenberg hosted a party in honour of her favourite cartoon character Superwoman with comics given out in store to a lucky few.

I loved that set designer and artist Gary Card illustrated his work in a LIVE window at Stella's store - using colouring pencils to create naive and charming over-layered drawings of animals, dinosaurs, superheros and fantasy inspired characters onto children's wardrobes - his work has a playful appeal and you are naturally drawn into his workspace as window watcher. Card has previously worked with the likes of Paul Smith, Cassette Playa, Uniqlo and for Henry Holland's Fashion space at Dover Street Market and the club kid has been likened to Andy Warhol for his mop of blonde hair.

Meanwhile just next door at DVF it's all about Wonderwoman and strong cartoon characters. I love the zaney action hero stuff these images are made of - you too can have superhuman powers dressing in DVF.

And still on the playful, colouful tip Matthew Williamson doesn't disappoint with a beautiful, far-away land window display. All the drama is in the clothes and this display has so much going on it's worth taking the time to go on Williamson's eclectic journey wherever it is.

Just another day stalking windows and retail in London.