Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama connect the polka dots in an iconic campaign

I am obsessed with the Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama Collection 2023 campaign. I have watched with both envy and awe as this campaign launched across key fashion markets worldwide in January 2023. From London to New York, Sydney to Japan, this amazing collaboration goes down in my books as one of the best partnerships ever executed. We will not talk about my wish list, instead read on to see why I love this campaign so much!

2012 was the first time the fashion house partnered with iconic Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, known for her quirky dotted botanical artworks. In 2023 however, it truly feels that this partnership has come of age. The sheer executional brilliance achieves an industry-first with its delivery of a multi-channel, multi-sensory experience that stuns.

For those of us in media, this campaign at times felt like a bit of a fever dream as we watched it come to life. From TV to iconic anamorphic out-of-home, robotics, AR gamification, pop-up patisseries to the website and product line rollout – not a single paid, owned or earned touchpoint or use of new technology was overlooked.

What better way to celebrate the reclusive iconic artist than to pay homage to her most well-known ‘polka dots’ and have a lot of fun doing it. It is evident for a campaign of this nature to appear so effortless in execution, while there being an incredible amount of pre-planning behind it; it bears all the hallmarks of a collaborative partnership in action.

Yayoi’s wish could only have become a reality by applying some partnership fundamentals:

• Clear strategic vision and ownership by core team
• Extended Team buy-in of the vision
• Right experts in the room and accountability by discipline
• Sufficient planning time (cannot stress this enough)
• Exceptional negotiation skills and technical expertise
• Implementation and execution excellence by all teams involved – accountable project management

For me, this partnership transcends media and marketing, delivering true synergy of brand and artist while engaging consumers in a delightful experience. The already-iconic Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama campaign happily marries art, technology, fashion and commerce, delivering on Yayoi Kusama’s vision and driving product demand at Louis Vuitton – a true win-win!