It has been two decades since Louis Vuitton’s beloved collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, known for his vibrant and playful style. Following its initial success in 2003, where it sold out within hours in France and created a waitlist of 7,000 names in New York, a re-edition of the collection has been announced for early 2025. The re-edition of the 2003 Louis Vuitton x Murakami collection will launch in two parts: Chapter One, featuring the Monogram Multicolor, released on January 1, 2025; and Chapter Two, showcasing Murakami’s Cherry Blossom pattern, set to be released online on March 14, 2025, and globally in stores on March 21, 2025.

This reappearance pays respect to the groundbreaking collaboration that first redefined Louis Vuitton’s aesthetic in the early 2000s. The collaboration started when Marc Jacobs was six years into his role as Artistic Director of the Louis Vuitton team. He teamed up with Murakami to reimagine the original Louis Vuitton canvas by incorporating color and flowers into the stark black-and-white backgrounds. While creating the patterns for the collection, Murakami drew inspiration from Japanese family crests.

Murakami’s signature fusion of traditional Japanese design and contemporary pop culture arose from his unconventional artistic evolution. After nearly failing high school, Murakami opted to attend art school, not out of desire but because he felt it was his only path. After two unsuccessful attempts at the entrance exam, he began making animated films. However, he deemed the films he created as “not that good”, leading him to decide to pursue painting instead. While working on his artistic style, he traveled to New York on a one-year Asian-Cultural Council Grant, where he discovered how to utilize his background as a creative tool, incorporating his love for anime and Japanese culture into his paintings.

Now, he has collaborated with several influential people and groups, including Pharrell Williams, the Dodgers, Billie Eilish, and, of course, Zendaya who is the face of the reedition of the Louis Vuitton collaboration.