Louis Vuitton’s Final Fantasy
High fashion is going all sci-fi and I don’t know how I feel about it. Current example: Louis Vuitton’s Series 4 ad campaign just launched (on Nicolas Ghesquiere’s Instagram of course), featuring Lightning from Square Enix’s Final Fantasy game* (above). Readers, Instagram exploded.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen a high fashion brand presented as Final Fantasy video game characters; remember this Arena Homme+ Prada editorial from 2012? It was a menswear editorial to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series, but female favourite Lightning also made a cameo…
For the Vuitton campaign, the brand went one better with a fully animated Insta-video made in collaboration with computer game company Square Enix’s director Tetsuya Nomura. It’s all very dynamic and cool, and definitely something different. And it taps into the merging of fantasy and reality that Generation Y is so obsessed with (related: the rise of Cosplay).
It’s interesting because it’s so far removed from the origins of Vuitton, a heritage trunk-making company at heart. Yet, Ghesquiere is a known sci-fi geek, who has worked hard to modernise what we know as Vuitton. The entire Louis Vuitton SS16 show was, after all, an homage to all things futuristic and anime. And for pushing those boundaries, he should be applauded.
So although I’m firmly rooted in the reality camp, I’ll reserve judgment for now. Just don’t hold me to it if you see me sporting a Sailor Moon tiara come Spring…
*man, that means nothing to me, just had to Google the lot
WORDS: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl
IMAGES: Louis Vuitton Final Fantasy Series 4 ad campaign for SS16; Louis Vuitton ss16 collection
