Rihanna Fronts New Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag Campaign in Canal Street Colors
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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.
Rihanna Remains Tight with LVMH
LVMH has a robust financial interest in Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie and beauty businesses via their L. Catterton investment arm. With a second baby coming soon with partner A$AP Rocky, and a Savage X Fenty business ready to go big, Rihanna has stepped down as CEO of Savage X Fenty, official Monday June 26.
Hillary Super is the new CEO of Savage X Fenty and brings great skills to the job. Super was the former global CEO of Anthropologie Group, which oversees popular retailers Free People and Urban Outfitters as well as Anthropologie.
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
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.
Vogue brings us an exclusive glimpse at Pharrell Williams’s Louis Vuitton Men’s collection before its runway debut in Paris. Pharrell talks so calmly inside his design studio about the Speedy bag and using Louis Vuitton's Damier Print in creative new ways.
Pharrell is so humble 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.
“The Speedy was always a men’s canvas bag until they made a smaller version for Audrey Hepburn in 1965,” Pharrell said in a press release after last week’s show. “I wanted to take something I felt would be unisex and just make a great bag for humans. It is an everyday icon conceived for every walk of life.”
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.
LVMH Still Waits for 2024 Olympics Decision
The Paris offices of the 2024 Olympic Committee were raided hours before the Louis Vuitton show on June 20th. Until the raid, LVMH hoped to announce that it was an official 2024 Paris sponsor with a special focus on Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, along with LVMH Wines & Spirits brands. If the sponsorship deal does go through, Louis Vuitton has a winner on its hands, with these colors.
