Want to hang out with some of Virgil Abloh’s closest friends?
The artistic director of men’s wear for Louis Vuitton is bringing his larger-than-life balloon figures to the Design District of Miami for a temporary residency beginning Dec. 4. The installation is part of the French luxury brand’s international tour to introduce its spring 2021 men’s collection.
The line is showcased in a short film that blends live action and animated characters that Abloh has titled “The Adventures of Zooom.” It was introduced during digital fashion week in Paris and showed the characters packing up their Louis Vuittontrunks and climbing aboard shipping containers headed east on the Seine before arriving in Shanghai and Tokyo. This is their introduction to the North American market.
The installation, which is open to the public, will be located at Jungle Plaza and will showcase the balloon figures among their shipping containers along with irreverent sculptures, including a giant pair of Vuitton sunglasses. The temporary residency will also offer visitors an augmented reality experience where they can scan QR codes on the containers that will allow them to interact with the characters on SnapChat. Timed entrance reservations can be made onsite using QR stations throughout the Design District.
One of the characters perched on a shipping container.
Following their visit to Miami, the Zooom friends will bring the collection to life by visiting Atlanta, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico City.
Vuitton’s spring-summer collection features two types of upcycling: new looks made from recycled materials and repeats from the fall-winter ’20 collection, along with pieces created during the lockdown. Visitors are able to preorder looks at the temporary installation, which will also offer the fall-winter collection along with LV2, the brand’s collaboration with Japanese designer Nigo; LV x NBA, its first men’s wear capsule with the National Basketball Association, and LV2054, its second capsule of a technical performance-inspired line that is making its international debut in Miami.
The installation is part of Miami Art Week, where the brand historically participates by showcasing new artistic collaborations and the newest collection of its Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection of travel-inspired furniture and objects. The temporary residency will remain in place through Jan. 25.