Everything
Over the weekend, Creative Director of Louis Vuitton menswear, Virgil Abloh, debuted a rather unique clutch.
The short video which the designer posted to his Instagram shows what appears at first glance to be a luminescent carrot, finished in the LV leather monogram. The orange fabric is interrupted by an exposed silver zipper that runs along the length of the faux vegetable. The green fronds dangle realistically enough to fool even the most astute carrot connoisseurs among us.
However, Abloh is not known for wacky designs but rather utilitarian apparel with very literal fabric and print sensibilities. Only a year ago, you would have been hard-pressed to get your hands on a pair of Off-White Jordan 4’s labelled “AIR” near the air bubbles. It is the simplicity of these “Abloh-isms” that turns everything he touches to gold.
The cryptic video does little to explain if the carrot is part of a wider collection. Though it doesn’t need to. Since his appointment as Creative Director for Louis Vuitton menswear in 2018, Abloh has been at the helm of the most sought-after pieces in the streetwear space. Consumer reverence for his typeface-driven designs has brought him into the success of the mainstream.
But what will become of the carrot in question?
While it is definitely a piece that would have Bugs Bunny frothing at the mouth, the clutch has already drawn witticisms from the same people that will likely go on to purchase it. One user commented “*Stimulus Hits* *Goes to LV* ‘I’d like the thousand dollar carrot'”. Another took the opportunity to mention Off-White’s signature closed quotations design, commenting “Carrot” below the video.
Whether this is a one-off gag for the Easter weekend remains unknown. But if Virgil means to ring in a new era of wonderfully wacky designs, or even just vegetable paraphernalia, we can’t help but have a distinct feeling that it will be wildly successful.
