Virgil Abloh has been blurring the line between high fashion and streetwear since way before he became artistic director for Louis Vuitton, but it seems like he doesn’t just want to blur it, he’s determined to eliminate completely.
With streetwear’s roots so heavily ingrained in skateboarding, it makes sense that Abloh’s next move is to sign a skater to LV. Abloh has chosen Jamaica’s own Lucien Clarke for this, “the first skater deal of this type” as noted by Abloh in his announcement. Prior this signing, Clarke was known in the streetwear community as one of the stars of Palace Skateboards.
With Clarke’s signing to Louis Vuitton comes the first ever Louis Vuitton skate shoe, quite possibly the most expensive skate shoe in history. The shoe is Clarke’s LV pro model, which according to Abloh was designed by Clarke with “free reign.” Two colorways have been revealed: a black/orange and a grey/green.
An advertisement for Louis Vuitton’s skateboarding debut is included in the upcoming issue of Thrasher magazine, though a film promo is also in the works. Check out Lucien Clarke’s LV pro model, as well as the announcement posts, down below.
