Fans of Rihanna’s style will know that her passion for Louis Vuitton trunks goes beyond the brand’s partnership with the Japanese artist; she has a thing for limited-edition versions of the luxury carry cases for years.
The singer of “Work” was first sighted with a malle in 2014, and she didn’t let it go until 2016. The bag in question was a Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry Twisted Box from the Celebrating Emblem series, for which Louis Vuitton commissioned Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Rei Kawakubo, Marc Newsom, Cindy Sherman, and Christian Louboutin to reimagine the house’s monogram.
The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris was designed by Gehry, who gave the trunk a completely practical makeover while still referencing the designs of his buildings. The unexpectedly roomy bag is branded with a high-visibility blue monogrammed patch and features a brown top handle as well as a detachable shoulder strap (which RiRi has never used). One was sold by Christie’s in 2015, one year after it started, for $4,375.
The Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami vanity case is also a vintage piece from the company’s time under Marc Jacobs. Murakami accepted the previous creative director’s invitation to rework Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2003 accessory line, and he ran with the task, giving the iconic LV logo print an explosion of color. Under Nicolas Ghesquière, the partnership, which also gave rise to the Cherry Blossom and Character bag designs, was ended in 2015. Despite this, immediately recognizable products from the alliance are still in use on the elite’s weapons.
Rihanna’s wardrobe has featured a few other Louis Vuitton bags, such as the Palm Springs backpack and models from Virgil Abloh’s menswear presentations, but none have garnered the same level of adoration as her exclusive selections.
Rihanna also has a big black Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami vanity trunk. A monogrammed Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami scarf tied around her neck further emphasized her boxy attractiveness.
