Louis Vuitton’s menswear show was basically a massive Rosalía gig

There’s a cultural appetite for the overblown fashion spectacles of yore – see all the nostalgia connected to Victoria’s Secret and 90s Versace on HFT – and, as the jewel in Paris’ fashion crown, Louis Vuitton is in prime position to key into this craving. Earlier this month, the house announced that American label KidSuper would be this season’s guest designer in lieu of a full-time replacement for Virgil Abloh. It was a decision that rides on novelty and entertainment and all of that came to a head this afternoon when Rosalía made a surprise cameo on the runway in a pebble-grey puffer and some paper bag sweatpants. 

The musicians involvement with KidSuper was teased earlier this week in an Instagram trailer – which is another example of fashion aligning itself to entertainment – scored to the seductive electronica of “CANDY” as one toddler unlocked its cot and another child flung himself into a pile of toys. As the house lights descended, that video played once more and Rosalía clambered onto a banana-yellow Chevrolet. Balancing on top of its bonnet, she rehashed her MOTOMAMI hits – shape-shifting between all the sultry melancholia and clangorous cyberpunk that seems to have wooed just about every designer working right now. 

Models trundled through a domestic set-up not too dissimilar from all those IKEA’s showrooms (albeit a little more lived-in with monogrammed trunks, plushies, and posters strewn around the place) which felt like the kind of set piece beloved of coming-of-age films. The collection itself rode on ideas of rebellion and play, compounding the wide-eyed outlook of Abloh’s tenure at the label: fluid tailoring with wraparound sashes, long-line trench coats embroidered with artworks, fuzzy puffers laddered with harnesses, and sequin-spangled bombers. Some looks were spray-painted with graffiti, while abstracted faces were layered into camouflage arrangements on Bandouliere bags and biker jackets.

As models wound their way through the audience, KidSuper’s trawl net of references surfaced – but it was a concert first and a fashion show second, which is an interesting development as the industry adopts new formats to court the masses.