Obviously the title is a joke, but with the re-opening of their Omotesando Store in Japan, Louis Vuitton has released two new sneakers, that look a lot like your favorite Vans. Actually they are pretty much exactly the Sk8 Hi’s and Lo’s. The hi top sneaker comes with denim side panels and the LV signature monogram design. The lo top sneaker is a little bit more subtle and features the monogram embossed. Via Honeyee.

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has worked numerous times with French leathe goods brands Louis Vuitton. This Holiday season the artist will wrap the entire 5th avenue New York City store.

“Louis Vuitton on Fifth Avenue is being wrapped for the holidays by Takashi Murakami.

The French luxury leather goods company is erecting a vinyl installation this weekend that will cover the entire store in Murakami’s iconic Monogram Multicolore print for the house. The installation will begin going up today and will be completed on Sunday.

“The idea to wrap the Fifth Avenue maison in Monogram Multicolore came about earlier this year in an effort to do something truly unique for the holiday season,” said Daniel Lalonde, president and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton North America. ” Via WWD.

We will show you the outcome of the initiative in a couple of days!

Fashion magazine Numéro Tokyo will start releasing some great reader give-aways with their October 2008 issue. The give-away will last for overall three months, starting in October and ending in December.
The October give-away is a real goodie – a Louis Vuitton produced mouse pad, featuring the Monogramouflage pattern, that was created this year by artist Takashi Murakami. In November they will be giving away a product by Mastermind Japan, more on that soon. Via Ako Tanaka.
Detailed images of the mousepad and the October issue of Numéro Tokyo follow after the jump.

Honeyee has released a great new feature, this time giving an in-depth look at French luxury luggage maker Louis Vuitton. They show great images in a three part feature of product, production, stores and more.
Make sure to check it out here.

We broke the news a couple of weeks ago – the collaboration between Comme Des Garcons and Louis Vuitton. Thanks to Nitrolicious we can show you now the entire collection.
"Per the press release: On September 4, 2008, Louis Vuitton opens an impermanent store inside Comme des Garçons in Tokyo. The idea for the project emerged from the memories of Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo. In 1978, as a young designer, she saw the first Louis Vuitton store to open in Japan and was fascinated by the image of French craftsmanship and art de vivre it projected – a luxury that seemed to her, at the time, unattainable. Three decades on, Rei Kawakubo wanted to revisit her impressions, and so the association between Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton was born.

Intriguingly, Louis Vuitton is celebrating this year its 30th anniversary in Japan. Rei Kawakubo has dedicated and re-designed the entire Comme des Garcons store on Kottodori, Omotesando especially for Louis Vuitton for the duration of the project, from 4th September through mid-December, into a space that will be a celebration of the Louis Vuitton Monogram. The fruit of this unprecedented collaboration – an exclusive collection of six one-off bags – will be presented in a minimalist space, at the centre of which will be a display of historic Louis Vuitton trunks. Inspired by her memories, Rei Kawakubo chose the legendary Monogram canvas to create two Party bags, small evening purses with outsized natural leather handles. The designer also customized two classic Louis Vuitton bags, endowing the Papillon with kawaii (cute) animal charms and the Mini HL with multiple slender handles. Lastly, Louis Vuitton is reediting two iconic designs from the 1970s – the Petit Marceau and the Sac 2 Poches – which Rei Kawakubo is likely to have seen in the windows of that first Louis Vuitton store.

The bags will only be available upon order, which is only to be placed at the “Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons store”. No telephone or Internet orders will be taken. In return, customers will receive a certificate inside a special card holder in Louis Vuitton’s traditional natural leather, embossed with the Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons signature. Only several months later will their bag be delivered to their chosen Louis Vuitton store. Other iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram bags, such as the Speedy and Alma chosen by Rei Kawakubo, will also be on display and available for immediate sale inside this special “Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons” store."
Check out the rest of the collection after the jump.

Kanye West was in Paris last week to check the Louis Vuitton runway show. While there he revealed that he will work with the brand on a footwear line. With the Nike coming, his own Pastelle line and word of a women’s collection, Kanye is head to toe in creative fashion mode. He follows Pharell, who worked as a guest designer for LV eyewear. (via WWD). 

Two outstanding brands that we report about on a regular have decided to join forces later this year – Comme des Garcons and Louis Vuitton. After the announcement of the Comme des Garcons x H&M partnership, this is the second unexpected partnership by the Japanese brand this year.
"In an extraordinary collaboration, Louis Vuitton, the ultimate French luxury brand, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, the ultimate fashion rebel, will open a joint Tokyo store in September — an ephemeral three-month space where six one-off bags, designed by Kawakubo in LV monogram pattern, can be ordered by shoppers.

Yves Carcelle, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, sitting front row at Kawakubos’ show on Friday, said that he was approached by Comme and considers the project a fine way to celebrate 30 years since Vuitton first opened in Tokyo.
For Comme acolytes, this move will be considered either as sleeping with the enemy — or a brilliant and imaginative partnership.

Kawakubo has re-designed the entire Comme des Garçons store on Kottodori, Omotesando for the Vuitton project. Carcelle says that LV is investing in the store, and that any financial profits will be divided.
Kawakubo described her designs as ‘party’ bags, promising multi-handles or two handles morphing into one. All will use the Monogram toile, with the LV initials, and the offerings will hark back to the styles of 30 years when Vuitton made only bags and leather goods." Via The Moment.

Museum product rarely gets fancier than this. Launched June 1 at the Brooklyn Museum, the new Takashi Murakami Louis Vuitton collaborative combines the monogram and camoflage. The Monogramouflage collection features a variety of bags, including the Keepall 55 above. Select LV stores will be carrying them beginning this weekend and stretching into the second week of July. (Via Nitrolicious). 

We caught on a little late onto this, but nevertheless we wanted to show it to you. Louis Vuitton made a special collection of luggage for “The Darjeeling Limited” movie by Wes Anderson.
The collection consists of many Louis Vuitton long time classics, featuring a safari design on premium brown leather. Unfortunately the collection never went on sale, and was auctioned off after the movie came out.
If you are lucky you come across some pieces on eBay, but we doubt it. After the jump more images.

Over at WWD we came across some interesting information about the opening of the Takashi Murakami exhibition that we previewed here already. Aside from presenting a new Monogramouflage pattern developed by the artist, the message behind the pattern is also quite special.
“Tonight, Vuitton is celebrating Takashi Murakami’s “© Murakami” exhibition with a “Brooklyn Ball” at the Brooklyn Museum featuring a special performance by Kanye West, the unveiling of a new camouflage print developed by Murakami and Marc Jacobs called Monogramouflage and a special installation designed to bring attention to one of the industry’s biggest travails — counterfeits.

But rather than simply hand out leaflets to alert guests about the importance of protecting original designs, the French luxury goods house will be taking a novel, somewhat intriguing route. Outside the museum, Vuitton is setting up 10 New York-style street vendors — not to sell fakes, but rather authentic Louis Vuitton product and special Monogramouflage canvases that Murakami has created specifically for the exhibition.”
If you can make it out there and get one of those Monogramouflage canvas, you can be sure it’s a good investment! Hopefully they will be using the pattern on leather goods as well.