For his tenth global Cruise showcase, Nicolas Ghesquière takes the art of travel to Barcelona, Spain in a Gaudí grandeur
At Park Güell, in Barcelona, Spain, a utopia is enacted and used. Upon this usage, neutrals touch color; beige, white, black, and grays interact with jewel-toned citizens and iridescent reflections: Red loves blue creates violet. Various fabrics, textiles, and materials press, pat, and push against stone walls and smooth floors making for a contrast that induces central focus on the show presented. With this scene architected by Antoni Gaudí and the play directed by Nicolas Ghesquière, the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 collection comes to life in a modern throwback.
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Time is Relative
Nicolas Ghesquière’s worldview is strongly connected to the idea of time. For him, time is ubiquitous rather than linear. He expertly creates an identifiable syntax and style, linking every piece with purpose and persona. Ghesquière is a time traveler who effectively connects the past, present, and future; there is no beginning or end, thus making each moment relevant via his distinctive viewpoint. What time is it? For the creative director, it’s all the time.
Antoni Gaudí’s work in Barcelona is a dynamic landscape. This concept of a legacy in continual motion is ideally aligned with Louis Vuitton’s ethos, The Art of Travel. This is the Maison’s tenth Cruise collection that sets forth toward global domination, following Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Kyoto, Japan; Cergy-Pontoise, France; and Lake Maggiore, Italy, always incorporating its architectural marvels like Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Miho Museum, Axe Majeur, and Isola Bella, respectively. The 2025 Cruise edition, set among Gaudí’s own, reflects Spain’s lively culture. Ghesquière’s collection honors this richness by bringing together the Maison’s disciplined beauty with the nation’s passionate energy.
Across 56 looks, Louis Vuitton captures Spain’s essence, with a palette as fiery as a flamenco and traditions as steadfast as a bull in a corrida. This collection is less a runway and more a scenic route through pseudo-futurism, each ensemble a stop on a grand tour incorporating an homage to Gaudí. It’s a testament to the joys of discovery, showcasing the art of travel in every hem and detail, and celebrating the adventure of new perspectives with a lighthearted nudge and a dashing wink, at least to Ghesquière himself—but we’ll take it anyway.
Gaudí, Not Gaudy
While Gaudí is the foundation, gaudy is less to be found in the collection. In fact, they were merely reflections of time metamorphosed into tinges of core reminiscent of the fast-moving pace of the ever-changing landscape of style. Can this idea be gaudy? Yes, but Ghesquière never makes it so.
’80s power dressing hits the runway, accompanied by powerful shoulders, reflective sunglasses, and opulent boater hats. These pieces become supporting characters, making reinterpreted workwear unmistakable. Perhaps some were right: the ‘80s cannot die, only evolve.
More than corpcore, the texture is sound, not light. It’s, at least through look, heavy. Worn with feeling—and there would be so much feeling—fringe boots, woven textile, and ruffle pleating make a case of “to touch is to believe”. And, if worn, then it is to be enlightened.
Louis Vuitton evokes the soul of Spain through its dynamic colors and sturdy traditions, unifying disparities to develop an interconnected novel. Nicolas Ghesquière’s Cruise 2025 collection morphs into a literary excursion across space (historical with modern) and time (timely and timeless). It honors the art of travel and the beauty of making the unknown one’s own, with each work bearing witness to the deep experience of discovery and the richness of varied perspectives. Where will Louis Vuitton go next for its Cruise collection, who will it honor, and what perspective will this imbue? Time will only tell.
Photos and Featured Image: LOUIS VUITTON
