For most Louis Vuitton fans, the intricate worlds of Final Fantasy are a completely unknown universe. Seemingly a million miles away from the high-end fashion houses of Paris, the Japanese RPG series has been seen as a lifelong (and slightly guilty) pleasure for most dedicated gamers. Though not for much longer.
According to new Instagram posts from creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s SS16 campaign is now stepping into the far-out dystopian dreamscape: casting Final Fantasy XIII’s leading lady Lightning as the new face of their “Series 4” collection. In a new virtual collaboration with Square Enix artist and designer Tetsuya Nomura, the heroine models several straight-from-the-runway looks – drawing many comparisons to Fernanda Ly, who led the original SS16 show back in October.
Given the inspiration behind the show – which was rooted in manga, anime and computer culture – the choice isn’t all that surprising. “We’re all confronted by the digital world in a good way and we’re influenced by cyber, influenced by the images that make us a dream or judge,” said Ghesquière of the collection. “But at the same time we have this real life. And we’re all managing to have this real dimension. And that’s exciting. It’s a real reality influenced by the virtual world.”
“I was thinking about this digital frontier, which I wanted to combine in harmony with the world of Louis Vuitton – the craft, the wardrobe. It’s an evocation of cyber, of what comes from digital – these characters or girls that are speaking to their generation.”
Check out more images from the campaign below: