22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Louis Vuitton Cruise 2026 show in Avignon: Nicolas Ghesquière wows front-row guests Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone with ‘female knights' and courtly theme
When Louis Vuitton announced last month that its cruise 2026 show would take place at the Palais des Papes in Avignon, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, the French luxury label couldn't have predicted that the pomp and circumstance of the papacy would make front page news only a few days later, when Pope Francis passed away.
Barely three weeks before the unveiling of the collection, the Catholic Church named a new pope, Leo XIV, the first American pontiff in history.
Built in less than 20 years starting in 1335, the Palais des Papes became a temporary papal residence during a time of turmoil in the Vatican in the XIV century. Considered one of the most important Gothic buildings in Europe, the palace hosted six conclaves, and was named a Unesco World Heritage site in 1995.
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Louis Vuitton's Nicolas Ghesquière takes a bow at the Cruise 2026 show in Avignon. Photo: Reuters
The grandeur and history of the papacy, however, were not on Louis Vuitton's womenswear artistic director
Nicolas Ghesquière' s mind when he picked the landmark as a backdrop for the unveiling of the collection.
Since 1947 the palace has been home to the Festival d'Avignon, one of France's most celebrated cultural events.
In an interview before the show, the designer recalled attending the festival at the age of 29, when he saw artists such as Icelandic singer Björk and German dancer Pina Bausch perform on stage. He called the experience of being surrounded by so much culture as a young man 'a game changer in my aesthetic as a designer'.
A dress inspired by a medieval coat of arms. Photo: Agence France-Presse
The collection was a homage to the costumes and stage outfits of those performers. Other references included the armours of medieval knights, the tapestries decorating the interior of the Palais des Papes – and even the legend of Excalibur, the magic sword of King Arthur.
Accessories ranged from open-toed boots heavily embellished with mirror fragments and crystals to Louis Vuitton's signature bags such as the Alma and the Petit Malle decorated with Gothic motifs. Three boxy bags made of wood were the result of a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Paris-based independent designer Thomas Rogers.
