Louis Vuitton Poises Sustainability with Virgil Abloh Logo

As consumers demand sustainability, brands are listening. Louis Vuitton is positioning itself as an advocate for sustainability with a new pair of sneakers emblazoned by a logo drawn by the brand’s late artistic director. And it is not the only high fashion brand to promise friendliness with the environment. Louis Vuitton has released a pair of all-white sneakers emblazoned by a Virgil Abloh redesign of the LV monogram. The logo redraws the monogram letters to resemble the arrows from the international recycle logo. The kicks are touted to be made from corn-based faux leather, and recycled polyester with at least 90 percent of the product coming from recycled or bio-sourced materials, according to Vogue Business. The late Virgil Abloh has been known to take sustainability into account in the designs he created, and has led several sustainability projects for luxury brands. He has worked with Evian to create the the brand’s first 100% recycled plastic bottle.

Louis Vuitton is not the only brand leaning into the sustainability branding. Several other luxury brands went to the drawing board to create a “sustainability” versions of their logos. Moncler has similarly appropriated the recycle logo by redrawing the lines of their “M” as an infinite loop of arrows. Prada has moved to create a collection from recycled and recyclable nylon, labelling it “Re-Nylon” with a single arrow looping along a triangular shape. If Google Search trends is used as a barometer for what consumers are seeking, searches for “sustainable fashion brands” has only grown since 2016, and have reached peak trends July 2020 and April 2022, based on Google Trends data. It shows that consumers are becoming more conscious of their impact and are in the market for environment-friendly products. These recent moves by Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands are a sign that the industry criticized as one of the largest polluters are finally heeding the demand.