Review of Louis Vuitton Men's Spring Summer 2021 Show In Shanghai

Virgil Abloh conceived his spring/summer 2021 collection as a journey, which started in July with a film in which a bunch of animated characters called 'Zoooom with friends' stow away on Louis Vuitton shipping containers and sail out of Paris on a barge. That barge landed in Shanghai for a full-fledged, real-deal, old-school fashion show—the first in a series of international events intended to bring the collection to the house's global clients.

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The collection itself took the idea of boyhood and childlike naivete as its inspiration, made literal by Abloh with supersized stuffed animals adorning both the ready-to-wear and accessories. The palette consisted mostly of bold primary hues and the defining silhouette was boxy and tailored, with many of the looks sporting hugely exaggerated shoulders. The House's Damier check and its Monogram flower were both key motifs repeated throughout, and unmissable mismatched sunglasses lent a surreal, trippy twist to the affair.

Abloh also pushed the brand's commitment to sustainability further with this collection, using recycled materials for certain looks and recycling looks from his previous collections for others—proving that good ideas don't have to be discarded after one season. Other than that, it was pretty much back to business as usual. The overall production was as grand as ever, with coups only a brand like Louis Vuitton can score—Lauryn Hill filming a rare performance to accompany the show, and Kris Wu closing it.

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