Most Brutalist architecture is not described as being “poetic” and “arresting”. But those mid-20th century, bulky and unromantic buildings are not The Salk Institute in San Diego, Calif. The clifftop research facility is known for its slim reflecting pool aligning between two Brutalist buildings that mirror each other. The sight lines intersect into a breathtaking perspective that frames the Pacific Ocean.

Nicolas Ghesquière has picked the Salk Institute in San Diego for Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2023 show on May 12 — WWD has learned.

“Having spent a lot of time in California, I was drawn to the idea of showing there again,” Ghesquière said, disclosing the location for the next show exclusively to WWD. “The Salk Institute has been a place of wonder for me over the years and Louis Kahn’s stunning Brutalist architecture against this extraordinary setting of the Pacific Ocean and the California sunset provides me with endless inspiration.

“It also celebrates intelligence, knowledge and the belief in the wonders of science,” he added.

The 2023 cruise show will unfurl in the central courtyard of the Salk Institute. Vuitton calls it “the focal point of a complex that spans more than 411,000 square feet, seamlessly integrating 29 separate science facilities with nature, sky and sea.”

The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 show is the first time the institute is hosting a fashion show. But the timing is perfect, because The Salk Institute has launched a $500 million fundraising campaign.

A split image of top: the existing site of the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2023 fashion show and bottom: a rendering of the forthcoming science and technology center at the Salk Institute. Courtesy Salk Institute

In November 2021 Irwin and Joan Jacobs, longtime supporters of the renowned scientific research organization pledged $100 M in matching funds — $1 for every $2 donated — to support Salk’s five-year $500 M goal in its Campaign for the Future.

The fundraising campaign ends on June 30, 2022. Presumably Louis Vuitton will assist in broadcasting support for the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Science and Technology Center on Salk’s campus in La Jolla into the Louis Vuitton community.

Irwin Jacobs cofounded mobile chipmaker Qualcomm in 2981. Since retiring from its board in 2012, Irwin and Joan Jacobs have donated $100 million to save the San Diego Symphony and $185 million to UC-San Diego. The couple pledged $133 million to create the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute on New York's Roosevelt Island, writes Forbes. They are signatories to The Giving Pledge.