Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami are back with a quirky collaboration on the Capucines

The highly limited Artycapucines were launched with an Art Basel exhibit fronted by a 24-foot-tall octopus.

Just when you thought Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami are done with making waves this 2025, the dynamic duo is back with a collaboration that’s bigger, bolder, and will definitely pull you in. We’re talking about the Artycapucines VII — Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Collection, which the French fashion house and Japanese contemporary artist unveiled on October 21.

The launch came hot on the heels of the reedition of their collaboration from the early 2000s, which featured over 200 pieces of handbags, accessories, skateboards, and fragrances. This time, though, the duo has rolled out only eleven novelty iterations of Louis Vuitton’s celebrity-approved Capucine bag.

Don’t sleep on this collection just yet. The bags, according to the mansion, are “highly limited-edition,” with Murakami designing the standouts to be more of sculptures than accessories. As the name suggests, these Artycapucines are wearable art. They are bursting with color and three-dimensional details inspired by some of Murakami’s popular artworks, including his signature Panda and “smiling flower” motif. It’s the artist taking his Technicolor whimsy to the max.

*Takashi Murakami reunites with Louis Vuitton to bring a whole lot of art and whimsy to the iconic Capucines. | Photos from Louis Vuitton*

The ultimate star of the collection is the Capucines Mini Tentacle, a pink bag spruced up with a 3D rendition of octopus arms. Inspired by Murakami’s 2017 sculpture “DOBtopus,” this bag is composed of more than 450 elements handcrafted by Louis Vuiton’s design team. The process of creating it, according to WWD’s report, began with crafting the tentacles out of resin before each and every sucker is painted, polished, and applied by hand. With a process as intricate as this, it’s no wonder that it took them 75 days to assemble the spectacle of a bag.

The fun continues with the Capubloom, a spherical bag that draws inspiration from Murakami’s “Flower Matango” sculpture at the Palace of Versailles in 2010. For this, the artist and Louis Vuitton creative team used 3D resin flowers in more than 115 vibrant colors. It’ll be hard to miss the Panda Clutch, too, which glistens with 6,250 rhinestones, all applied by hand.

Then there’s the Capucines BB Golden Garden bag, which features Murakami’s “Ogata Kōrin’s Flowers” artwork that is inspired by renowned 18th century Japanese painter Ogata Kōrin. For this leather bag, the LV creative team used a technique called leather marquetry to create and combine five different textures for its blooms. If you’re looking for a loud statement-maker, then the Capucines Mini Mushroom is your best bet. Expect to start conversations in a jiffy with this silver canvas bag bedecked with 100 multicolored resin mushrooms.

The Capucines MM Eye is another piece to catch your attention, drawing inspiration from Murakami’s 2018 “TIME” artwork. The same goes for the more subtle yet equally captivating Capucines East West Dragon, which lets you take his 2010 artwork, “Dragon in Clouds Indigo Blue,” anywhere you go. Completing the collection are the Capucine East West Rainbow, Capusplit BB, Capucine Mini Autograph, and the Capucines XXL Camo.

Louis Vuitton extended the charm and whimsy of this collection IRL with an immersive exhibit at the Art Basel Paris. Located at the Balcon d’Honneur at the Grand Palais, the spectacular display is dominated by a 24-foot-tall sculpture of an octopus with a sheer design reminiscent of Chinese lanterns. Its tentacle are stretched around a door, with more of them taking over the hall’s carpeting.

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Here, art aficionados and LV fans alike can also marvel at the entire Artycapucines VII — Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Collection and sketches by Murakami. It also has other quirky installations, including the huge, psychedelic Plush Balls artworks, that you can take Instagrammable photos of.

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And before going crazy over everything cute at the exhibit and the the collection itself, it’s important to keep in mind that the bags from the collection are sold in highly limited editions. LV refused to disclose the exact number and their prices, so it’s best to waste no time, book a flight, and hurry.

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