Karma Chameleon

As creative director at Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs is no stranger to a good artistic collaboration: Julie Verhoeven, Stephen Sprouse, Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami to name a few.  Each venture has been a profitable combination of art and fashion, taking Vuitton icons and interpreting them through the personal visions of each artist. The latest LV partnership is with British artist Billie Achilleos.  Like a modern day Noah, Achilleos created Maroquinaris Zoologicae, a cheerful menagerie of creatures crafted using Vuitton's small leather goods.  Achilleos incorporated wallets, belts, zippers and other trinkets, rendering these unbelievably clever and luxe critters with an eye for exquisite detail.  Months ago, I saw these in the windows of the 57th Street flagship in NY and nearly keeled over from the cuteness overload.  Only the insanely ingenious minds at Vuitton could have dreamed up such a witty project.  The Vuitton-Achilleos team makes perfect sense as Achilleos' blog proves she is a prolific creator, crafting origami flowers, lifelike puppets and such with ease and joy.Check out the behind the scenes video for Maroquinaris Zoologicae