Vogue's best looks from the Louis Vuitton cruise 2026 show Vogue Singapore
Designer: Nicolas Ghesquiére
Location: Palais des Papes, Avignon
The vibe: Modern-day templars, crusaders, priests, and knights took to the runway with extraordinary flair. Tunics were embroidered to mimic the look of armour, while chain mail appeared as bib and in the form of a dangling belt detail—bringing a striking edge to Ghesquière's signature boxy silhouettes. Renaissance-style ormolu mirrors were reimagined as peep-toe boots, turning reflective opulence into wearable art. Even the iconic Sac Alma was transformed, fully embossed and gilded to resemble a relic one might unearth in the storied halls of the palace. It's astounding how Ghesquière consistently takes ideas that could so easily tip into theatrical excess and instead distills them into a collection that is both reverent and boldly forward-thinking—something I consider to be a true sartorial triumph.
The vision: A sensory awakening, driven by the tension between uprooting and reverence, is the essence of deracination, and it's a dynamic that Nicolas Ghesquière masterfully explores through his tenure at Louis Vuitton. His creative genius lies in the interplay between the new and the storied, where innovation meets deeply rooted heritage. From the Cour Lefuel arches built right at the heart of the Louvre in 2018 to the medieval grandeur of Isola Bella in 2024, Ghesquière continues to orchestrate breathtaking contrasts. Now, we stand before yet another remarkable setting: the Palais des Papes. A formidable fortress and one of the most exceptional examples of medieval gothic architecture in Europe, this UNESCO world heritage site sets the stage for a dialogue between fashion and history, past and future.
The show opened to the commanding blare of trumpets, with William Sheller's Excalibur setting a dramatic, regal tone for Louis Vuitton's cruise 2026 presentation. The spirit of theatre and the arts illustrated by the models emerging one by one, striding through an amphitheatre lined with empty crimson chairs—a haunting, cinematic tableau. In a bold inversion of traditional staging, the guests were seated not as spectators, but at the heart of the legendary stage itself, becoming part of the entire scenography. 'Who is watching whom? It brings yet another perspective to the scene,' Ghesquière mused backstage—underscoring his play with perception, space, and the roles we inhabit.
What to shop from this collection: There was an overwhelming richness to take in this evening at Louis Vuitton, where no detail was spared in the pursuit of the gilded, the crafted, and the exquisitely embellished. The trick, really, is to break the collection into two distinct lenses. The first: pieces that feel like art objects in their own right. The strongest among them, the embossed flannel coat in Look 3, adorned with a flame motif inspired by heraldic designs found on traditional coats of arms—a nod to medieval iconography. Then there were the metallic-embroidered dresses in Looks 18 and 21, which evoked the regal presence of armoured cloaks. And, lest we forget, the embossed Sac Alma, rendered in a spectrum of rich hues, each one resembling a relic forged with ceremonial intent.
The second lens is wearability—how these designs move beyond spectacle and into the realm of personal style. Standouts here include the gold lamé dress with sharp black graphic cut-outs (Look 14), which balanced the whimsy of a minstrel with the strength of a warrior. Equally compelling was the laser-cut leather dress in a deep burgundy wash—a modern take on a Josephine silhouette that felt both romantic and sharply contemporary. Alessandro Lucioni
1 / 12 Look 1 Alessandro Lucioni
2 / 12 Look 3 Alessandro Lucioni
3 / 12 Look 7 Alessandro Lucioni
4 / 12 Look 9 Alessandro Lucioni
5 / 12 Look 14 Alessandro Lucioni
6 / 12 Look 18 Alessandro Lucioni
7 / 12 Look 21 Alessandro Lucioni
8 / 12 Look 30 Alessandro Lucioni
9 / 12 Look 35 Alessandro Lucioni
10 / 12 Look 40 Alessandro Lucioni
11 / 12 Look 41 Alessandro Lucioni
12 / 12 Look 44
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But as inflation and interest rates began soaring post-Covid, many of the new luxury customers came under pressure. Big bling retrenched and refocused its attention on older, wealthier shoppers, offering plainer styles and fewer logos. Streetwear faded from fashion and 'quiet luxury' was born. With the old money aesthetic came old-money price tags, further alienating younger buyers. This correlated with fewer high-end brand names, Gucci and Dior for example, appearing in lyrics in 2022 and 2023. (A broader range of labels, such as Goyard, with some price points below the megabrands, was included by hip hop and R&B stars.) This helps explain why companies' communications strategies, led by LVMH, are now coalescing around sport. For example, soccer star Kylian Mbappe was the face of Jonathan Anderson's first collection for Dior, rather than a musician, such as A$AP Rocky, with whom the label previously collaborated. 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Given that at its peak, Gucci accounted for more than 60 per cent of Kering's sales, this is reflected in the parent's performance. Yet Gucci's previous cultural cachet from songs is a base on which new creative director Demna Gvasalia can build, particularly as it has been so low-profile for three years. With LVMH focusing more on sport, for example, through its US$1 billion sponsorship of Formula 1 motor racing, new Kering CEO Luca de Meo should prioritise music. Then he would have a decent shot at getting shoppers once more Feeling Gucci, as the 2018 song by Savage Ga$p puts it. In contrast, Hermes has outperformed. This is consistent with mentions of the Birkin and Kelly bag maker in lyrics. It was the most referenced brand in 2021 and 2022, appearing in Cardi B's number one hit Up among others. Hermes was the most referenced brand in 2021 and 2022. This is consistent with mentions of the Birkin and Kelly bag maker in lyrics. PHOTO: ST After a dip in 2023, in line with many rivals, its mentions have bounced back, perhaps helped by the Birkin being featured in Shaboozey's A Bar Song (Tipsy), which spent 19 weeks atop the Hot 100 last year. It seems that whatever the bag touches turns to gold. Meanwhile, industry giant LVMH is facing its toughest year yet. Dior rode both the reinvention of the historic house and the rise of streetwear to almost quadruple sales to more than nine billion euros (S$13.5 billion) between 2018 and 2023, according to HSBC Research. It is now underperforming. Notwithstanding the release of the MK and Chrystal dance track in June, Dior's mentions in hip-hop and R&B have slumped since peaking in 2020. Given that it is LVMH's second-biggest brand by sales (excluding beauty retailer Sephora), this appears in LVMH's performance. Reassuringly for Arnault and LVMH investors, however, aside from a dip in 2023, mentions of Louis Vuitton have remained solid, including a name-check in Tyler, The Creator's 2024 hit song Sticky. This reflects the fact that while embracing sport, Louis Vuitton still strengthened its connection to music through the appointment of Pharrell Williams as creative director of menswear in February 2023. The relationship between music and luxury goes beyond the conglomerates, too. Gripes about excessive price rises from some consumers and a creative hiatus following the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019 precipitated a 4 per cent decline in sales at privately held Chanel Ltd last year. Yet in welcome news for Chanel's billionaire owners, the Wertheimer family, the brand was mentioned more frequently than its competitors in hip-hop and R&B music in 2023 — thanks in part to multiple hits by Nicki Minaj. It was quite a smart move when the house named Kendrick Lamar as a brand ambassador earlier this year, fresh off his Super Bowl half-time performance that sent searches for bootcut jeans soaring. (It'll be even more so if the house ever expands into menswear.) Chanel named Kendrick Lamar as a brand ambassador earlier this year, fresh off his Super Bowl half-time performance that sent searches for bootcut jeans soaring. PHOTO: REUTERS Prada's embrace by hip-hop and R&B stars has been more modest compared with other houses, but the brand appeared in several other chart-topping songs between 2020 and 2023. Ferrari Horses by D-Block Europe and Raye, which featured the house prominently, reached No 14 on the UK Singles Chart in 2021. In September 2022, Prada got another jolt, from Sam Smith and Kim Petras' No 1 Billboard Hot 100 smash Unholy, and also from Raye's Escapism, her breakout hit released the following month. In 2023, Ferrari Horses was remixed and simply renamed Prada, which reached No 5 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronica chart. In September 2022, Prada got a jolt from Sam Smith and Kim Petras' No 1 Billboard Hot 100 smash Unholy. But mentions of the brand in hip-hop and R&B have been negligible since 2023. IMAGE: CAPITOL/EMI During this period, Prada's sales growth was comparable to that of LVMH's fashion and leather goods business, with the Italian label outperforming its bigger rival in 2022 and 2024. But our analysis showed that Prada's mentions in hip-hop and R&B have been negligible since 2023. Given its embrace by artists a few years ago, Prada, which typically leans on art and food in its communications, might also consider enhancing its cultural relevance through music. 'Rollies that don't tick tock' It is not just handbags that have endured a boom and bust in music over the past five years. Pricey timepieces have also been on a rollercoaster ride. Think iced-out bling, and Rolex immediately springs to mind. It is an instantly recognisable shorthand for success. Yet our analysis shows that its inclusion in lyrics peaked in 2014. As mentions of Rolex declined, those of two other privately held manufacturers, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, took off. This can be traced back to the appointment of Francois-Henry Bennahmias as CEO of Audemars Piguet in 2013. A former professional golfer, he recognised the power of celebrity and enlisted a roster of stars to promote the brand. In the years that followed, Audemars Piguet popped up in lyrics alongside Patek Philippe. (Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe watches are more expensive and exclusive than many Rolexes.) Future, who name-checks luxury brands in more top-50 hip-hop and R&B songs than any other artist, mentions Audemars or Patek in more than 50 songs. Both brands get a nod in Life is Good, featuring Drake, which spent six months on the hip-hop and R&B chart in 2020. According to experts at secondary watch platform A Collected Man, Drake's mention of Patek is believed to reference a Nautilus 5726 – one of the watchmaker's flagship models – customised to a design by Abloh. Future, who name-checks luxury brands in more top-50 hip-hop and R&B songs than any other artist, mentions Audemars or Patek in more than 50 songs. IMAGE: FREEBANDZ/EPIC Yet demand for even Audemars and Patek as well as Richard Mille (at times condensed to 'Millie') has weakened. Another brand, Cartier, is not referenced as frequently as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, but its inclusion in lyrics remained steady until this year. Tyler, the Creator is arguably the best-known collector of Cartier timepieces, encouraging a style shift from chunky sports models to more delicate pieces. As he says in Hot Wind Blows from 2021: 'The Cartier so light on my body, thought I floated here.' Such a move wasn't an accident. Former Cartier CEO Cyrille Vigneron, astutely capitalised on Gen Z's adoption of the jeweller, initially through its Love bangles. He relaunched some of its iconic watches, such as the Panthere, augmented with sometimes racy advertising. His foresight paid off, helping Cartier become one of the few brands to defy the downturn in the secondary watch market. Its popularity has also enabled parent Cie Financiere Richemont to outperform LVMH in both sales and share price over the past year. The lessons here? It pays to recognise when a brand is taking off and leaning into Gen-Z tastes. But houses must also know when to ease back, as Gucci learned the hard way. Richemont doesn't want Cartier and sister-brand Van Cleef & Arpels, famed for its lucky clover bracelets, becoming too ubiquitous. Cartier is not referenced as frequently as Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, but its inclusion in lyrics remained steady until this year. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG 'The new Bottega, my baby only wears couture' Our analysis underlines how badly luxury needs to reassert itself among younger consumers who draw inspiration from music. It's true that inflation in top-end goods is moderating, and that companies are also introducing more affordable products, such as beauty and fragrance. Labels are also finally shaking things up with a cadre of new talent: As well as Anderson at Dior and Demna at Gucci, Chanel has appointed Matthieu Blazy as its creative director. Kering houses Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta both have new designers, as do LVMH labels Loewe, Givenchy and Celine. But more must be done to win over disenfranchised shoppers and make owning top-end goods desirable again. The popularity of hit song Dior shows that the luxury fatigue that has weighed on sales may be reaching its nadir. With carefully crafted strategies, brands can seep into popular culture once more. If the track turns out to be the catalyst for the house's renaissance, that would be a strong signal for Arnault and the rest of the industry to turn the music up. BLOOMBERG
