The Craft Behind Louis Vuitton’s Keith Haring Artycapucines

Thirteen collector’s pieces translate the artist’s spontaneous lines into intricate embroidery, leather marquetry, enamel, embossing, and thousands of hand-set crystals.

“The only way art lives is through the experience of the observer. The reality of art begins in the eyes of the beholder and gains power through imagination, invention, and confrontation,” wrote artist Keith Haring in an essay published by his eponymous foundation.

While it’s been more than three decades since his passing, the dynamic figures, movements, and symbolism within Haring’s work have continued to be voices of positivity, urgency, and connection in contemporary art. From fleeting chalk exhibitions to large-scale murals now made synonymous with many international landmarks, Haring’s well-traveled work now returns to the world of fashion, as it centers the eighth edition of Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines Collection.

Debuting in Nicholas Ghesquière’s Cruise 2027 womenswear collection at New York’s Frick Collection museum, this collaboration comes 42 years after Haring’s first, and rather candid, encounter with Louis Vuitton. Among the collection’s collaborative creations featuring the late artist’s work are 13 unique editions of the Capucines that recontextualize Haring’s signature works into expressions of the brand’s craftsmanship. From 12,000 hand-set strass to precisely cut ostrich and karung leather inlays, each handbag was said to embody aspects of Haring’s artistic legacy while paying homage to the concrete jungle that shaped his worldview.

Capucines MM Genesis and Valisette Genesis

Referencing the porte-habit that was believed to belong to Haring’s roommate in the 1980s, the Capucines MM Genesis serves as the most literal tribute to the artist’s relationship with Louis Vuitton. Here, the suitcase’s aged cognac patina was digitally recreated in soft calfskin leather, with hardware also mimicking a weathered brass finish to complete the piece.

The Valisette Genesis, however, compacts the original suitcase’s silhouetteSilhouetteThe overall outline or shape of a garment or look, such as A-line, column, or hourglass. Silhouette defines the first visual impression of an outfit and is often the mostGo to Silhouette Glossary to create a modern carry-all that can shift between a single-handled purse and a shoulder bag with its detachable strap. Both creations feature Haring’s Radiant Baby illustration on their top sides, allowing a once-preserved piece of artistic history to become a wearable companion that can now age beyond the era it once lived.

Minaudière Capucines Nano Running Heart and Noodle Box New York City

The Minaudière Capucines Nano gives one of Haring’s most recognizable motifs a gilded finish. Made with over 12,000 hand-set strass with black calfskin leather detailing, the piece turns its rather minimal red, black, and silver design into an example of Louis Vuitton’s savoir-faire, requiring over seven days to carefully place each crystal along the handbag.

Referencing the cultural diaspora of its namesake, the Noodle Box New York City handbag utilizes similar decorative techniques as the former, using over 10,000 strass crystals to recreate Haring’s Statue of Liberty and Untitled (New York Apple) pieces. Like all the creations in the collection, this collector’s item features a numbered enameled tag engraved with Haring’s Dancing Figures motif.

Capucines East-West Mini Maze and Capucines Mini Figures

Extending Louis Vuitton’s detailed retellings of Haring’s artistry, the Capucines East-West Mini Maze is a showcase of over 240 hours of applied embroideryEmbroideryThe decorative stitching of designs onto fabric by hand or machine, central to Philippine formalwear. Hand embroidery from places like Lumban in Laguna and Taal in Batangas adorns barongs, ternos,Go to Embroidery Glossary and crocheting techniques to turn acrylic and muslin into an interplay of handcrafted beads and threads. Referencing an untitled composition made for Italian art critic Francesca Alinovi in 1984, the artwork wraps across the handbag’s body with details of black calfskin to further emphasize its vibrant color palette.

Another of Haring’s untitled yet easily recognizable works becomes a monochromatic pairing to the collection’s needle-worked duo. Depicting a display of heart-bearing figures, the Capucines Mini Figures edition was said to symbolize concepts of unity and community through a shared sense of movement.

Minaudière Capucines Pets

Taken from a page of a coloring book from Haring’s previous Pop Shop in Lower Manhattan, the Minaudière Capucines Pets heavily features the artist’s distinctive linework to create a playful array of dogs on the bag’s polished white resin shell. Taking over 11 days to accurately capture Haring’s hand, its hand-painted design also extends across the carryall’s handle and metal furnishings, all while using black Malletage lambskin leather for an elegant flourish.

Capucines BB Holiday and Capucines Mini Dancers

The Capucines BB Holiday was described as a colorful blend of Haring’s artistic universe with Louis Vuitton’s sensibilities for leathercrafting. Here, the swimming figures and dolphins depicted in the artist’s 1983 Napoli painting are meticulously detailed using inlays of ostrich and karung leather. The artwork itself is a reference to Haring’s frequent visits to Brazil, where he would spend his time alongside fellow artist Kenny Scharf.

Continuing in the narrative of Haring’s global perspective, the Capucines Mini Dancers highlights the rhythms of ballet through figures of elongated proportions alongside other hand-drawn iconography. Backed by smooth white calfskin leather, each design was etched in black using a high-frequency embossing technique to give a three-dimensional finish to an otherwise simple creation.

Capucines MM Soft Figures

Rounding off the collection is a wrap-around display of an untitled artwork from 1989. Done on an ivory-toned canvas body, Haring’s practice of symmetry is captured in embroidered orange and yellow cotton, which was said to evoke meanings of continuous transformation through the serpentine forms the figures create.

In honoring Haring’s artistry for the eighth edition of Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines Collection, the house hopes to continue showcasing how the realms of art and fashion can find commonality in their approaches to craftsmanship and storytelling. The Keith Haring Artycapucines Collection will display select creations at Art Basil Paris, with the full ensemble being made available come January 1st.