“It’s really all about the freedom of the road,” Kim Jones explained after yesterday’s Louis Vuitton show. Taking reference from American pop culture and the mythology of the American road trip, Jones showcased a striking collection that embraced the iconography of classic sportswear and infused it with luxury tailoring. Bandanas formed oversized patchwork shirts and bombers were covered in patches – Jones paying homage to teenage codes of dressing. The sound of REM’s Losing My Religion echoed through this season’s location – a glass building reminiscent of a church – forming the perfect context for a truly spectacular show. 

We drove from New Orleans to Las Vegas, we went through deserts, swamps, forests and mountains - you see all this stuff in a day and you just think, wow how incredible and big America is. We took a theme from each place and worked it into the collection.

Dazed Digital: I’m quite interested to hear your experiences and feelings surrounding the idea of being on the road, and how it transcended into the actual collection?

Kim Jones: It was the idea of people coming from a city and going out into the wilderness in a car. The idea of luxury being the time and the freedom you’ve got to go and just explore. We drove from New Orleans to Las Vegas, we went through deserts, swamps, forests and mountains - you see all this stuff in a day and you just think, wow how incredible and big America is. We took a theme from each place and worked it into the collection. It’s really about playing around with things and that's where I get my inspiration from.

DD: Why did you decide to collaborate with Michael Stipe from REM for the soundtrack?

Kim Jones: I’ve known Michael for a long time and he was actually one of the first people to buy my clothes when I started out at college. It’s quite nice to go full circle and work with him on some music for the show because I really love REM so much. They’re so brilliant and it just felt right, you know. We’re always a bit nostalgic with things so it’s kind of nice to bring it forward.