By Dara Clariza Evangelista
What do you mean it’s an anime vibes Louis Vuitton Capucine?
Yes, you read that right, Louis Vuitton’s new Artycapucines collection is basically what happens when luxury couture and kawaii chaos fall in love. The brand teamed up (again!) with Takashi Murakami, the Japanese pop art legend behind those smiling flowers and rainbow madness we all secretly adore. And this time, he didn’t hold back, eleven new designs, each one feeling like it came straight out of a dream sequence where Paris meets Harajuku.
The collection debuted at Art Basel Paris, where Louis Vuitton transformed the Grand Palais into a giant glowing octopus. Literally. Guests walked through tentacles covered in Murakami’s Jellyfish Eyes, think of it as walking into a manga scene, but make it couture. Inside, the bags sat among plush balls, dragons, and cartoon flowers, each one more extra (and more perfect) than the last.
Courtesy: Louis Vuitton
Now, let’s talk about our favorites. The blue Capucine, with its wave designs inspired by Murakami’s Dragon in Clouds painting, feels as if The Great Wave off Kanagawa got a designer upgrade. I gasped. It’s art, but it’s also the kind of bag that makes you want to wear an all-white outfit just to let it shine. Then there’s the “minimal” sky blue one (if you could even call it minimal, this is still Murakami, after all). Sleek, chic, and a little unexpected amidst all the psychedelic color.
And then… the gold one. Covered in delicate hand-painted flowers on metallic leather, it looks like someone dipped sunlight in art. It’s rich, bold, unapologetically fabulous, like if Versailles decided to become a handbag.
Courtesy: Louis Vuitton
What’s so fun about this collaboration is that it’s both nostalgic and fresh. Murakami’s first Louis Vuitton collab back in 2003 changed everything, those colorful monograms were the moment. Two decades later, he’s back, but with even more imagination. The anime eyes, the octopus tentacles, the happy chaos, it all somehow feels elegant.
Courtesy: Louis Vuitton
So no, these aren’t just bags. They’re wearable joy. And honestly? I think that’s the kind of luxury we need right now.
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Jasmine Curtis-Smith is on the cover of STYLISH Magazine right now, as she shares her thoughts on good storytelling in films, as she’s set to star in upcoming movies Open Night, a 2025 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival sapphic film entry; and Manila’s Finest, an upcoming 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) crime drama movie.
Read the Stylish Magazine September-October 2025 cover story here.
Watch out for a new #StylishPodcast episode featuring our cover girl Jasmine Curtis-Smith, dropping soon on Facebook and YouTube.
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