Rihanna Fronts New Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag Campaign in Canal Street Colors AOC Eye

History of Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag

The Louis Vuitton Speedy bag is an iconic fashion statement that has withstood the test of time. Introduced in the 1930s, this elegant and practical handbag has become a symbol of luxury, sophistication, and timeless style.

From the moment it graced the arms of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, the Speedy bag has cemented its status as a must-have accessory in the fashion world.

Rihanna Fronts New LV Speedy Bag Campaign

In June 2023, fashion world adds Rihanna to the list of famous women who love a Louis Vuitton Speedy bag. Rihanna is an insider at LVMH, besides being a good friend of Pharrell Williams, the new creative director of Louis Vuitton Men who had a blowout opening night in Paris last week.

Shot by Japanese photographer Keizō Kitajima and American artist Martine Syms shot the campaign images in which, Rihanna hustles around the city with her Speedys, a modern woman with a to-go coffee in hand and her pregnant belly bared. Per the press release: “Personified by a pregnant Rihanna—a symbol of human empowerment and the quintessential everyday icon—the men’s campaign reflects the re-contextualization at the core of Pharrell Williams’ approach to the Maison.” A new era for Pharrell and Louis Vuitton, certainly, but also for the meaning of luxury at large.

Lower Manhattan’s Canal Street Was Pharrell’s First Education in Luxury Bags

A Speedy bag was one of the first luxury bags Pharrell ever owned, according to GQ. It’s also one of the most bootlegged bags on lower Manhattan’s Canal Street. The hustling and hawking of Speedy dupes on sidewalks inspired Pharrell’s “early education in luxury,” per a Louis Vuitton press release, and served as “a cultural axis invigorated by a diverse energy and hustle mentality.”

To mimic the candy-colored designer dupes he used to find on Canal Street sidewalks, Pharrell employed a novel silkscreen monogramming process to induce “a blurry, artisanal and almost hand-painted effect” on the new Louis Vuitton Speedy bag colors — which also coincide with the Olympic rings colors.

Pharrell Talks Speedy

Vogue brings us an exclusive glimpse at Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton Men’s collection before its runway debut in Paris.

Pharrell is so humble talking his new Speedy while also being very confident in his own skills and talent. He says that at times Virgil’s spirit is present — which can very well be the truth.

Pharrell’s Speedy is outfitted in supple-grained calf leather with an ultra-softened construction, allowing it to drape and bend in the true way it would with everyday use. Bags that appear “broken-in” and used in many life experiences are very popular in the luxury market.

The leather used in Speedy bags comes from a tannery audited and certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG), which is the highest environmental standard in terms of leather tanning. This standard requires tanneries to reduce their water and energy consumption, as well as their use of potentially hazardous substances. Louis Vuitton works with Europe-based tanneries, who also commit to work with Vuitton in company-wide efforts for responsible sourcing and continuous improvement [implementation of material traceability systems, fighting against deforestation practices].

All Louis Vuitton leather bags and accessories are manufactured in one of three countries: France, Spain or the United States.