Story | Connie Li Photography | Louis Vuitton
For the past decade, Louis Vuitton has collaborated with celebrated designers from around the world to re-imagine experimental, yet functional, furniture pieces and travel-inspired objects.
Aguacate by Campana brothers, $64,500
Since 2012, each limited-edition piece in the Objets Nomades collection—from a hammock to a foldable stool, an armchair to a room screen—has pushed and surpassed perceived boundaries.
Cosmic Table by Raw Edges, $71,000
Petal Chair by Marcel Wanders Studio, $19,700
The collection simultaneously pays homage to Louis Vuitton’s special orders of the past, such as the iconic Bed Trunk produced in 1874, and celebrates the defiantly contemporary visions of a diverse group of international designers.
Merengue by Campana brothers, $19,000 each
Louis Vuitton recently presented five new Objets Nomades pieces from Frank Chou, Campana Brothers, Marcel Wanders studio, Raw Edges, and Studio Louis Vuitton in the Miami Design District.
Totem Lumineux by Studio Louis Vuitton, $39,000
Chinese designer Chou debuted his Signature Armchair and Sofa, with its graceful, flowing arches inspired by terraced fields in China and desert rock formations in the U.S. It is the first Objet Nomades piece specifically designed for exterior use and is covered in the colourful “Brio” fabric by Italian brand Paola Lenti. eliteGen recently spoke with Chou about his design and what it was like to collaborate with Louis Vuitton.
Signature Sofa by Frank Chou, $78,500 Signature Armchair by Frank Chou, $50,000
eG: There are both indoor and outdoor versions of your new Objets Nomades design, correct? What did you try to express through these works?
Frank Chou (FC): Yes, correct. Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades are inspired by the art of travel and reinterpretations of it. Travel in today’s modern era is different from a century or two centuries ago. In fact, it has become a “spirit of adventure” and it keeps on inspiring people’s daily lives. Through our designs, we are trying to create adventurous, creative and elegant pieces which are able to reflect emotions and history, and can resist the test of time.
Frank Chou
eG: How did you get the inspiration from the layering of terraced fields in Yunnan and the naturally sculpted forms of Antelope Valley?
FC: From the terraced fields of Yunnan to the Antelope Valley, these beautiful landscapes are somehow connected to our subconscious. The forces of nature that shaped and sculpted them are what attracted and inspired me most. I think it is this logic and philosophy that may be the real inspiration.
eG: You won the prize at the 2016 Milan Design Week for the Ping Screen, which was indoor furniture. This time, you decided to design outdoor furniture. Were there any special considerations when working on outdoor furniture and on this Louis Vuitton project?
FC: “Indoor” and “outdoor” are really just expressions. If you look at it from a creative point of view, they are just small
considerations. An idea or concept can be translated in many different ways, including for indoor or outdoor use. Of course, there are some considerations to take into account, including functionality, relationships between people, social interaction and the way the pieces are used.
eG: How do you balance the creativity and practicality of your work?
FC: I think there is a balance between not only creativity and practicality, but also between culture, emotion, setting, structure, etc. In addition to aesthetics, most of these other elements are the basis of a designer’s vision, reflected in their subconscious decision-making at all times. The creativity and the appearance of the design is a result of this.
eG: Can you share some details and interesting stories during your collaboration with Louis Vuitton?
FC: The whole process was in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Communication, discussion and sharing of production updates could only be done online. Despite these limitations, I think it was a true test of professionalism and mutual trust. With reduced means of communication, and given the difficult circumstances, it was a wonderfully touching process of co-operation, in which we were able to gradually develop a concept into a piece of Objets Nomades.
