Louis Vuitton unveils 13-bag Keith Haring Artycapucines collection

Louis Vuitton has turned Keith Haring's lines loose on handbags.

The French fashion house has unveiled a Keith Haring Artycapucines collection, its ongoing series in which invited artists rework the structured Capucines bag. The line runs to 13 designs, WWD reported on 21 September, with details confirmed by ARTnews on 22 September.

Each of the 13 bags draws directly on Haring's work. The designs feature his drawings and recurring characters, translated across the leather, hardware and lining of the Capucines shape.

Shoppers will not have to wait long for a first look. Louis Vuitton plans to tease the collection at Art Basel Paris, the fair that brings international galleries and collectors to the French capital each autumn.

The handbags extend a collaboration that returned to the runway earlier this year. Louis Vuitton revived its Keith Haring partnership at a lavish show in New York in May, The Guardian reported on 21 May. That presentation was the house's Cruise 2027 show from designer Nicolas Ghesquière, which introduced Haring-covered clothing and accessories.

Cruise, in fashion language, is the between-seasons collection shown outside the main spring and autumn calendar. For large houses it often means a destination show. New York was the stage this time.

For fans, this means two ways into the same idea. The Cruise clothes brought Haring to the runway. The Artycapucines bags bring him to a smaller, carry-everywhere format, with each of the 13 versions working from a different piece or character.