Following on from their last Cruise offering in Rio, Louis Vuitton has announced it’s heading to Japan for its upcoming Cruise 2018 show, taking place on May 14th later this year.

Creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière has a habit for choosing settings that reflect his references. Last time, the brand’s decision to show in Rio came just two months before the Olympics – and this, with the added context of the iconic Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer’s, futuristic building, mirrored the sport and modernist aesthetic of the pieces. 

Japan has been a long-standing source of inspiration for the French brand – since its interest in Japanese family crests that inspired its famous monogram, to more recent collaborations with the likes of Yayoi Kasuma, Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo and Hiroshi Fujiwara.

Ghesquiere’s revisioning of the historic house, through his love of fantasy and sci-fi, has also naturally drawn him to this technologically-advanced country and culture before. He cast the Final Fantasy XIII chracter, Lightning, in his recent SS16 campaign – a first for an anime or computer game character. With this in mind, we’re excited to see how this left-field thinking filters into this upcoming collection – watch this space. 

See the gallery below to refresh yourself on Louis Vuitton's last Cruise collection until then.