All-Star Weekend normally means lurid watches and Tiffany & Co. basketballs, a celebration of luxury as indulgent as the games themselves. In that spirit, Louis Vuitton's $2,000 crystal-embroidered cap would've fit right in.
Now, it's easy to point out a luxury product just for the sake of being, like, "Wow, isn't that crazy? A hat worth thousands of dollars. Who buys this stuff?" That's the easy way out — as we said months ago, luxury brands have always made overpriced shit. Welcome to the fashion industry.
So look at this fancy hat more like Fendi's Arena goggles and Prada's $650 frisbee.
These are fun playthings made for the ultra-rich, us peons oughta enjoy the sheer excess from afar.
And weighing in at ¥237,600 (about $2,055), this LV hat is the definition of excess. Revel in it.
The cap is just rolling out in Louis Vuitton's Asian markets; it sold out on the brand's American web store and is only available in sizes 58 and 60 on LV's European website (one is currently available on Stockx's site for $2,600).
Store availability will fluctuate on a case-by-case basis, of course, though hard to imagine anyone other than high-priority clientele ordering one of these bad boys.
So, what's up with the price? Well, Louis Vuitton has never been "affordable" but there are some layers here.
Each crystal is hand-sewn to the cap's cotton canvas crown, for instance, and it's not like LV is sourcing costume jewelry to stitch to its headwear.
An embroidered logo only bumps up the cost (likely due more to the fact that the hat actually says "Louis Vuitton" than it being time- or cost-intensive) and don't forget the fancy cowhide strap!
If nothing else, the cap puts Louis Vuitton's NBA collaboration to shame in terms of sheer opulence and that's saying something.
