louis vuitton sees trainers as white canvases in latest exhibition at milan fashion week

White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence

From February 24 to May 16, 2023, Louis Vuitton presents ‘White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence,’ an exhibition dedicated to a new series of artistic reinterpretations of the LV Trainer. Developed by the French fashion house based on an idea by its former Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with Sky Gellatly, the project uses the emblematic all-white leather low-top sneaker as a blank canvas for a collection of creative reinventions. For the first edition of the exhibition, Louis Vuitton invites three key artists influenced by the 1980s New York underground scene to reinterpret the LV Trainer: Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, and the Estate of the late artist Rammellzee. The result sees a collection of white sneakers decorated with elements of street art, graffiti murals, and hip-hop culture.

The iconographic trainer reinterpretations will be on display at the ephemeral Louis Vuitton store at Garage Traversi in Milan, which will be the exclusive point of sale for the trainers, which will be made available in limited quantities.

Lady Pink’s reinterpretation of the LV trainer | all images courtesy of Louis Vuitton, unless stated otherwise

through the lenses of Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones and Rammellzee

For the first installment of ‘White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence’, Louis Vuitton invites three established names in contemporary art, Lady Pink and Lee Quiñones, as well as the Estate of the late artist Rammellzee, to revamp the sneaker through their unique creative languages. The exhibition serves as an invitation to free expression, building on the Maison’s historical connections to artistic spheres and evolving ongoing creative conversations with different fields of knowledge and genres.

Born in Ecuador in 1964, Lady Pink was instrumental in the rise of graffiti art and remains a cult figure in the hip-hop scene. Born in Puerto Rico in 1960, Lee Quiñones became famous for painting entire subway cars and murals and was pivotal in bringing street art above ground. Visual artist Rammellzee (1960-2010) expressed himself in a variety of artworks spanning different disciplines such as painting, sculpture, and performance art.

Lee Quiñones’ reinterpretation of the LV trainer

About the LV Trainer

Originally designed by Virgil Abloh for Spring-Summer 2019 — his first show for Louis Vuitton — the LV trainer combines the authentic codes of basketball shoes with the iconography and savoir-faire of the French fashion house. Conceived by Abloh as the ultimate luxury trainer, it has appeared in a multitude of adaptations in Louis Vuitton’s men’s collection and has become an icon in the sneaker community. It is made of leather and is available in low-top and high-top versions. Each pair of LV sneakers is made in the Maison’s Italian factories in Fiesso d’Artico and takes no less than seven hours to produce.

Rammellzee’s reinterpretation of the LV trainer

each pair of LV sneakers is made in the Maison’s Italian factories in Fiesso d’Artico

the result sees a collection of sneakers decorated with elements of street art, graffiti murals, and hip-hop culture

the LV trainer has become an icon in the sneaker community

golden splashes adorn Lee Quiñones | image © designboom

bold red patterns on white leather complete Lady Pink’s sneaker | image © designboom

image © designboom

the iconographic trainer reinterpretations are on display at the ephemeral Louis Vuitton store at Garage Traversi in Milan

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project info: 

name: White Canvas: LV Trainer in Residence
brand: Louis Vuitton
artists: Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Estate of The Rammellzee
location: Garage Traversi, Milan
dates: February 24 to May 16, 2023