Finding new magic in lv

Karl Lagerfeld, together with other five designers, are given carte blanche to create bags and luggage for Louis Vuitton. Photos provided to China Daily

Karl Lagerfeld, Frank Gehry and Cindy Sherman are applying their creativity to a new and surprising canvas: Louis Vuitton's famous brown and gold monogram.

They, along with Rei Kawakubo, Christian Louboutin and Marc Newson, were given carte blanche to create bags and luggage for the French luxury giant. The limited-edition items will arrive in stores in mid-October, bringing high-profile attention to a cornerstone of the brand, which is marking its 160th anniversary this year.

Unveiling the project in an interview, Vuitton executive vice-president Delphine Arnault says the project exalts what she described as "the most desirable icon in the world".

The collaborative items are to retail from about 2,000 to 4,000 euros (about $2,700-5,450), dovetailing with Vuitton's efforts to sell more high-priced leather goods and secure its brand positioning.

Lagerfeld and Sherman also created trunks in numbered editions of 25.

The product range represents one of the first large-scale initiatives spearheaded by Arnault, daughter of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault and an emerging force in the luxury conglomerate her family controls.

Arnault spoke excitedly about the opportunity to watch the likes of Gehry and Lagerfeld at work: the former constructing a paper model of his off-kilter design; the latter submitting intricate, hand-colored sketches with precise dimensions.