Africa was the theme in more ways than one at Louis Vuitton’s menswear fashion show in sun scorched Paris on Thursday, and shades-wearing celebrity attendees included Kate Moss and David Beckham.
Inside the storied courtyard venue — at the Palais Royal — Moss wore a marbled Louis Vuitton silk shirt and pants, and posed for cameras under the sun, followed by a rather wintry looking Beckham in a black knit sweater.
Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, 34, appears naked on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s latest “Body Issue.” But in the Paris heat, it was his clothes the three-time NBA Champion was rocking in the front row — alongside the NFL’s Victor Cruz and football star Rio Ferdinand.
“Today I’ve relaxed and chilled with my Louis V.,” he said in a Vuitton suit with chic coloured markings.
Wade, who likes to make time to attend fashion shows when he’s not competing in basketball championships, said he’s excited about the current sports-infused trends in menswear styles.
“I love it as an athlete. It’s a great moment when sports are intertwined with fashion,” he added.
Louis Vuitton
Designer Kim Jones went back to the inspiration of his first Louis Vuitton show: Africa.
It made for a richly coloured voyage through exotic African skins, textiles and its civilisations, and a very vibrant spring show.
Mohair sweaters with “springbok” patterns speckled the runway in red and brown, as well as myriad other animals in prints.
While khaki sleeveless shirts were rendered with dyed twill and a Monogram Makassar collar, signature bags came as a navy and white zebra printed calf leather briefcase.
Beyond the Africa reference, there was more than a hint of Kim Jones’ terra mater of London, as he acknowledges.
“There’s always something a little London hidden somewhere, though. This time it is the influence of Punk — albeit via Africa,” Jones said.
Unicef for Fashion Week
Louis Vuitton paid homage to victims of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa that has devastated communities.
Noting that the country has the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the whole world, the house says it champions UNICEF — the United Nations Children’s Fund.
In the collection, the Silver Locket was testament to this, the house said, and with each piece sold $100 (Dh367) will be donated to support South African children.
