Barcelona, Spain — Louis Vuitton unveiled its latest fashion designs in Barcelona’s Park Güell on Thursday, bringing drama to the clothes to finally match Antoni Gaudí’s architectural masterpiece.
Nicolas Ghesquiere’s ambitions for the Parisian house’s Cruise 2025 collection were revealed in front of an A-list audience including actresses Ana de Armas, Jennifer Connelly and Saoirse Ronan.
Louis Vuitton typically reveals its ready-to-wear collections in the French capital, while choosing exotic and attention-grabbing locations for its destination cruise collections.
Where tourists walk daily in tank tops, shorts and flip-flops, this UNESCO World Heritage Site hosted state-of-the-art clothing for a night that blended with its earthy tones that are at once organic and yet seemingly ethereal.
The models made their way through the 86 Doric columns that support a domed plaza in the center of the park with views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea in the distance.
The show notes say Ghesquiere was inspired by Gaudí’s “ever-changing legacy” and Spain’s rich artistic heritage.
“As if in homage to such opulent purity, the Maison’s rigorous spirit embraces the country’s passionate character,” the notes say. “The fervor of its colors, its fidelity to tradition elevated to artistic expression, darkness and light that never seem contradictory.”
Dramatic silhouettes contrasted with the soft curves of Gaudí’s organic structures, which were reflected in dresses draped and folded in gravity-defying volumes.
And then there were flashes that enchanted: a pair of equestrian boots that ended in a bunch of tassels.
The parade, however, was not celebrated by everyone. A group of a few hundred residents protested the event for what they said were the inconveniences it caused, including reduced parking in the area. The protest also included animal rights activists.
The group of protesters located a few streets down the hill from the park’s outer wall could be heard beating drums, blowing horns and setting off fireworks before the show began. Catalan police said they arrested one person for violently resisting their decision to remove protesters from a street to allow traffic to pass.
Park Güell, pronounced “gu-ay,” began in 1900 as a luxury planned residential development designed by Gaudí, whose other works include the Sagrada Familia Basilica, still in progress. But the lack of buyers meant it was abandoned in favor of a park that ended up in the hands of Barcelona City Council.
It currently receives 4.4 million visitors a year, mainly from the US, Britain, France, Germany and Italy, with Barcelona residents making up just 0.3% of visitors, according to the park.
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AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry contributes to this report from Milan, Italy.
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