The House of Vuitton had one of its most successful accessory collaborations in its history with the late artist Stephen Sprouse in the early 2000s. Who could forget those day-glo graffiti handbags, more grade school scribble than Pollack strokes, lighting the wrists of downtown denizens and uptown mavens alike. Well clearly Vuitton couldn’t as the brand’s Creative Director, Marc Jacobs, has designed a new line of handbags that sort of pick up where the Sprouse bags left off. It is important to point out though that the bags are not a rip off of the artist’s original works, but more of an admiration of his artistry and success. The ode comes at a time of renewed interest in the artist’s works, starting with a retrospective - “Rock on Mars” - at the Deitch Projects’ Wooster Street gallery from Jan. 9 to Feb. 28, and a new Stephen Sprouse book. Deitch approached Jacobs about doing something with Vuitton to coincide with the retrospective and the tribute line was born. The line focuses on two of Sprouse’s mainstays: graffiti and the rose, with the pieces being available in both accessories and ready-to-wear. So if you did not acquire an original Sprouse-Vuitton piece in 2001, here is your chance to get in on it this time around.
