View of the façade of Louis Vuitton in Paris, France. (Photo: frlegros/Depositphotos)
If you take a walk on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, you may come across a startling new sight. In celebration of their collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has redecorated several locations around the world with iconic polka dots and life-like animatronics. These special installations are timed with the release of Louis Vuitton’s capsule collection inspired by Kusama’s inspiring creative career.
The overhaul of these stores ranges from subtle additions to window displays and interiors to surreal additions to the building itself. Most noticeable perhaps, is the massive balloon portrait of Kusama herself which is affixed to the exterior of Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in Paris. It is placed on the roof of the art deco structure with one arm hanging over the windows as she appears to paint the dozens of rainbow dots covering the façade.
This isn’t the only location to receive a Kusama makeover, though. In Tokyo, the Louis Vuitton store remade their window displays in the style of Kusama’s pumpkin art, with a pattern of black polka dots on a warm yellow background covering the walls and floors. And on the Fifth Avenue location in New York, you can find an uncanny animatronic of Kusama painting inside the windows. From afar, it looks nearly identical to the artist, and moves in slow, deliberate movements; it even blinks and moves its lips to enhance the effect.
Scroll down to see more images of this incredible collaboration.
Around the world, select Louis Vuitton stores have been redecorated in Yayoi Kusama’s iconic style.
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From Paris to Tokyo, these locations have added polka dots and paintings inspired by Kusama’s creative career to their window displays and to the exterior of their stores.
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Some locations, like the store on Fifth Avenue in New York, even have a lifelike animatronic of Kusama who appears to be carefully painting the store window.
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