{"id":239468,"date":"2026-05-21T17:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239468\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:00:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:00:27","slug":"nicolas-ghesquieres-on-his-vision-for-louis-vuitton-cruise-2027-at-the-frick-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/239468\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicolas Ghesqui\u00e8re’s on His Vision for Louis Vuitton Cruise 2027 at The Frick Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tLouis Vuitton<\/a> earlier this month revealed that it would hold its cruise 2027 show at The Frick Collection<\/a> in New York<\/a> City. It had been a long time coming for Nicolas Ghesqui\u00e8re<\/a>, the brand\u2019s artistic director of women\u2019s collections.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was on my dream list,\u201d told WWD of the Upper East Side museum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe traveling show marks the first time the Frick<\/a>\u2018s first-floor galleries will be activated for a fashion<\/a> show, and kicks off a three-year sponsorship. Starting in June, Louis Vuitton<\/a> will underwrite the museum\u2019s free evenings on the first Friday of each month through May 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThrough the sponsorship, the French luxury house will also serve as lead sponsor of its next three major special exhibitions, the first being October\u2019s opening of \u201cSiena, the Art of Bronze: 1450 to 1500.\u201d Furthermore, a Louis Vuitton curatorial research associate will support the museum\u2019s curatorial department\u2019s activities for two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI can\u2019t remember really when I first went to the museum because it\u2019s such an institution for New York<\/a>, but I have a vivid memory of being very amazed by the beauty of the collection, and of course the [architecture],\u201d Ghesqui\u00e8re said. \u201cA residence turned into a museum is always so special. This dream list had a lot of locations, and I\u2019ve been lucky enough to do a lot since \u2014 I\u2019ve crossed a lot of those boxes since I started at Vuitton.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the years the artistic director\u2019s Vuitton cruise shows have taken place at marvelous global locations of architectural significance, including the Palais des Papes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Avignon, France; Barcelona\u2019s Park G\u00fcell; Isola Bella, the small Italian island on Lake Maggiore; the Bob Hope estate by John Lautner in Palm Springs, Calif.; Brazil\u2019s Museum of Contemporary Art Niter\u00f3i by Oscar Niemeyer; Kyoto\u2019s Miho Museum by Ieoh Ming Pei; the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence by Josep Llu\u00eds Sert, and the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in\u00a0New York<\/a>\u00a0by Eero Saarinen. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt Vuitton, there is a reason that makes cruise very visible. It\u2019s a baby \u2014 we started it 13 years ago when I first joined. It was one of the projects that didn\u2019t exist before, so for me, it was also important that Vuitton had a signature,\u201d the artistic director said of his appointment 13 years ago, and the first cruise show (his second show collection) for the house, held in Monaco in 2014. Of course, other luxury houses were holding traveling cruise shows, but Ghesqui\u00e8re said highlighting architecture and new designs through these shows was seemingly missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt might be hard to remember, given the massive reach and legitimacy of Louis Vuitton \u2014 certainly for travel-minded cruise shows \u2014 that the French luxury house\u2019s ready-to-wear business is merely a \u201cyoung lady\u201d in her 20s.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe always think about, \u201cShe\u2019s 28,\u201d Ghesqui\u00e8re quipped of the brand\u2019s fashion launch, which started from scratch under Marc Jacobs in 1997, and is now being written as a beautiful \u201csecond chapter\u201d under Ghesqui\u00e8re. It\u2019s a massive feat, and the length of the designer\u2019s tenure at the brand is becoming increasingly rare in the fashion industry. <\/p>\n

\n\tSince then, Vuitton has continued to expand its world with beauty, hospitality and so forth, and Ghesqui\u00e8re said he is very grateful for his long relationship with the house and the Vuitton woman.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful also to see different generations working together. At Vuitton, there\u2019s people with me that are from Balenciaga. In the atelier, and not only in the studio, there were people who were with Marc [Jacobs], and they are all happy together, and then there\u2019s new people. It\u2019s really a special place. It\u2019s not a legend,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is really something, even if it\u2019s huge \u2014 sometimes it\u2019s difficult to define, but it\u2019s very human.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the interview, Ghesqui\u00e8re explained that his annual cruise collection serves as new ways to show even more craftsmanship and savoir faire, and \u201cthey are very fun, because they tell a story,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Paris [during his fashion week shows], of course we tell a lot of stories and more than everything, the story of fashion. The cruise collection\u2019s art says something that is about fashion, but it\u2019s much larger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHis collections\u2019 stories often start with the venue, before his drawing and development of new techniques come into play. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt totally infuses a part of the process, because cruise is based on the idea of travel, and the travel is moving, so the travel is Louis Vuitton,\u201d he said, explaining that to design the collection, securing a location and approaching the setting, \u201clike a movie scene,\u201d comes first.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI really think about the models and the talent that walk the show like characters of a short film\u2026We travel with scouts, we sometimes have a few places, but this one was one,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter a November trip to visit the Frick<\/a>\u2019s newly renovated galleries, he was inspired by the feeling of the venue being, \u201cAlmost like a secret place. It\u2019s not, but it\u2019s a place where when you discover it, you really have the feeling of finding something really unique and private somehow. Even if it\u2019s public, it feels private and that\u2019s very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGhesqui\u00e8re explained that his spring 2026 show at a space built into one of the Louvre\u2019s courtyards, which displayed an atmosphere of craft, confronted with the collection, into \u201cart that is so beautiful and something you cannot question,\u201d helped him and his team work in a direction that would not be \u201ctoo intimidated\u201d for cruise 2027.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen we came out of the [Frick] museum, we had the same thought, and we said, \u2018Why don\u2019t we do cruise here? It\u2019s extraordinary, and we have something to say about it.\u2019 There is really something very interesting also in terms of timing with the Gilded Age; with the development of transportation here, and the Frick collection is also a symbol of that. There\u2019s a synchronicity with LV, which is very interesting,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is something to say about it, and it\u2019s what the cruise is about. Also, it\u2019s always collections that are very\u2026 I would say more narrative than the one we show in Paris. There is a story to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith every destination show, Ghesqui\u00e8re said his story always pays homage to the places to which Vuitton travels. Here, not only did the Frick\u2019s architecture and historical portrait artworks play into his designs, but the wider landscape of New York City and the \u201cidea that America is a sophisticated casual,\u201d he explained. Ghesqui\u00e8re said after spending time in America, more often in his Los Angeles home, he\u2019s come to understand and love the \u201csubtleness of this style,\u201d which spans across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to pay homage, to infuse the culture of the place we are visiting with a collection, and of course to bring our eyes as foreigners. I think it\u2019s what is beautiful in showing this idea of cruise,\u201d he said. While his 2017 New York cruise show was distinctly outside of the city, Wednesday\u2019s outing is firmly in town and, \u201call about a New York moment.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tHe also enjoyed the contrast of the former TWA location\u2019s modern architecture to the Frick\u2019s historical, classical design, which brought forth new design evolution and developments.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere are so many sides of New York that we can share. What was very interesting with the collection was also to think about the duality. It\u2019s very universal between uptown and downtown \u2014 you\u2019ve been hearing that for a long time, but it is very mysterious for the entire world. Where is the line? What is the difference? Where does it cross and complete itself? The contrasts are amazing,\u201d he said, recalling his first early \u201990s trip to the Big Apple at age 18. Crossing the bustling streets in Midtown; discovering the \u201cstill rough\u201d streets of SoHo, \u201cand of course the galleries,\u201d he said. \u201cOld galleries, new galleries and cool places, like Chelsea and Meatpacking.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was staying in Lafayette Street, and then we came uptown, and I discovered this extraordinary environment, which was so beautiful with the buildings. It was everything I saw in the movies. I still feel those emotions, because I still think it hits everyone when you come to New York,\u201d he said. \u201cSo this time, this is what I wanted to express with our vision. To say, \u2018The girl downtown is coming uptown; the girl from uptown catches things from the girl downtown, and what is that mix through our eyes. That\u2019s really what the collection is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe continued that, as with all of his collections, \u201cthere is a time clash in what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere is clearly this idea of a very artistic character in the show and [we] express a few great examples of America. One of the great examples of America, for me, was Keith Haring,\u201d he said. The artistic director said he was inspired by the late American artist and activist\u2019s bold, graphic and widely recognized works, but also the meanings behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought it was very interesting to infuse his work in the world of Louis Vuitton, and also in the world of the Frick, which is very classical art,\u201d he said, furthering his message \u2014 and Vuitton\u2019s New York customer \u2014 of uniting and adapting downtown\u2019s street edge with the quintessential uptown ethos.\u00a0In addition, Haring\u2019s works speak to a wider message Ghesqui\u00e8re enjoyed \u2014 yes, his works with the artist\u2019s foundation will be at a high level of craft and available in special, expensive Vuitton pieces, but the artist\u2019s work can also often be seen on a T-shirt down the street. \u201cIt\u2019s universal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s something you can have in common, and that this is beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs if fated, Ghesqui\u00e8re pointed out his cruise collection\u2019s opening look: a denim-clad model carrying a vintage patina\u2019d brown suitcase featuring a signature black marker drawing by the late artist. He explained that two or three years ago, the Vuitton team had purchased the \u201930s suitcase, which was sold at auction by the former roommate of Haring\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was a full loop. It was crazy, really, and incredible, with the possibilities of Vuitton \u2014 it\u2019s so large and historic. It\u2019s an incredible treasure. That was also a good starting point, because he designed on the luggage,\u201d he said. \u201cThe LV team identified the year, it was 1984, and luggage was probably from the \u201930s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAll of these inspirations, with nods to Western wear, fused together to create Ghesqui\u00e8re\u2019s strong, cinematic view of the American woman, who is but one of the many global women who inspire and fuel his deep love for design.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAfter all these years [in the business] \u2014 it\u2019s going to be 30 years in 2027 \u2014 it\u2019s not a search for perfection, but you always look for the next collection, strangely, or the next creation,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat\u2019s something that is very artistic that I wanted to express since I was a kid. I did menswear in the past, but I\u2019m designing for women. It\u2019s the sharing with women, and not only women now, the people that we are connecting with. Honestly, that\u2019s what I love about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe added that what he continually finds fascinating is searching for \u201csomething that will create emotion in the moment; that\u2019s fashion, that you wish for in temporality, for something that we love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s about creating styles that will one day become signatures, proven through his 17-year tenure helming, rebuilding and reinventing Balenciaga and his ongoing 13-year work with Vuitton. Each collection serves as an important moment to \u201clittle by little\u201d develop new signatures and codes. Ghesqui\u00e8re explained that establishing these styles is not necessarily a conscious effort, but because he craves to do so.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou wish that it\u2019s going to be something that will be a signature style one day. So this is what I love, in that. This sharing the collection; having this extraordinary energy around, and this reset every three months. And at the same time, this very deep, deep, deep work, and this very profound research, that is not only a silhouette, but what I\u2019m adding to that person when she wears my clothes,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe questions of how she feels in the clothes; if she wants to keep, sell or pass down the fashions to her daughter one day, are questions that still fascinate the artistic director. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m always looking forward to expressing something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen asked if after 30 years in the business, it ever gets easier, Ghesqui\u00e8re said, \u201cWith time, it\u2019s a very interesting development because fashion has changed so much since all those years, so the adaptation is always very interesting. Fashion was not that popular when I started, and now it\u2019s pop culture too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Ghesqui\u00e8re never envisioned fashion<\/a> becoming so popular when he first started, he finds it, and Louis Vuitton\u2019s, concrete stance in the broader culture fascinating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe beauty of my previous responsibility at Balenciaga was that it was kind of a secret jewel that needed to be revealed again, and it was extraordinary to work like that for 16 years \u2014 to contribute to put it back on the map, and make it alive,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut after that, of course being at Vuitton was extraordinary, because you could talk to many more people, address your ideas to many more people, share things with many more people. The big change is that for me personally, of course, and of course for the industry, this popularity is extremely interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis plays into his well-organized, disciplined approach to the craft.\u00a0This means balancing themes of multiple, sometimes overlapping collections, and working closely with his innovative teams to transform and find solutions to new ideas.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeing an artist is a \u201cbig part of creation in what we do, and a big part of pragmatism,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be organized for it to sell. You have to be artistic when you do your creation, then pragmatic when you start to build the clothes. And it\u2019s very technical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not only about storytelling, building brand narratives and signature, but creating investment-worthy products that create desire and make customers dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFashion is important, but what is more important is that it\u2019s going to matter enough. Being older gave me this outlook, because some of what I did in the past, I saw the life and the second life, the third life of those clothes, and how much the commodity cost at the time,\u201d he said. \u201c I think it\u2019s very beautiful to see that they take value, they are appreciated by a new generation, by people that were not there at that time, and they\u2019re like, \u2018I see that there is something there that someone and a group of people cares about. They cared about that when they did it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Louis Vuitton earlier this month revealed that it would hold its cruise 2027 show at The Frick Collection…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1242,12382,9,11,10,93598,81928],"class_list":["post-239468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-fashion","tag-louis-vuitton","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-nicolas-ghesquiu00e8re","tag-the-frick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}