Louis Vuitton menswear pre-fall 2021: Fashion for contemporary conformists

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Dec 22, 2020

Virgil Abloh unveiled his latest menswear collection for Louis Vuitton, ideas for pre-fall 2021 that played on the concept of conformity even as he subverted traditional style with unorthodox materials and unexpected finishes.

 
Abloh cautioned that he wanted the idea that “Louis Vuitton investigates the mundane dress codes of an establishment in evolution,” after a period of progress in fashion.
 
Hence, classical sailors peacoats are embossed with a techy industrial Louis Vuitton logo running up the sleeve; while Damier-print trench coats are souped up in a muddy abstract expression hue.

 
Again blending sportswear with chic, he placed four white zippers in an LV pattern on a jet black nylon splash jacket; before revamping jerkins in Damier salt print.
 
Though Abloh’s models respect the typical values of military manliness; he shot the lookbook at a Marine airfield.  His new two-button Damier dry wool suit, with his now-signature holster man-bag paired with classic monogram sandals, is seen on a model who poses in front of a Canadair CL-415, the world’s best turboprop firefighting aircraft. His suits were languid and sleek, though Vuitton has never had a reputation as a powerhouse brand when it comes to tailoring.

 
Though the outstanding looks were the all-black donkey jacket in shearling and empreinte leather; the micro Monogram-print denim suit or the flight jacket worn with a matching hat in an offbeat galaxy blue print.
 
The house called it Abloh’s “ongoing transformation of elitist codes into symbols of inclusivity.”  And his statement passages – like an embossed green leather caban which read Don’t Let Your Day Job Define You or an intarsia sweater reading Separate Fashion from Fiction definitely managed to do just that.