In Sun Yitian’s studio, the mass product becomes an art object. And the art object has now been perfected into a fashion accessory. The Chinese artist reveals how her collaboration with Louis Vuitton came about – and tells what is perhaps the truest underdog story in fashion history.

We start with a happy ending. Because when Sun Yitian is asked about her favorite motif in the new Pre-Fall Women’s Collection by Louis Vuitton, we get a feel-good story for which we should actually secure the film rights. Three years ago, a puppy got caught under the wheel of a truck outside the artist’s studio. “A street dog, the kind you find everywhere in rural and urban areas of China,” reports Yitian. She rescued the animal from its predicament and was rewarded with a tender friendship: “She became the most important companion in my life. The dog came to my studio every day and accompanied me while I was painting. I could see in her eyes that she needed someone to look after her.” Not only did Yitian take care of her new companion from then on, she also immortalized her dog’s gaze in a painting for the “Peep Into Two Worlds With One Eye” series. This now serves Louis Vuitton as the basic motif for a new range of clothes, leather accessories and perfumes. This is how this sad-looking stray made it from car bliss to a luxury walk around the world. “Once she had no home. When she appeared on a Louis Vuitton bag, it was a magical feeling,” says a delighted Sun Yitian.

Toy Story: Artist Sun Yitian joins forces with Louis Vuitton — Sun Yitian has some great ideas in her studio.

Inspiration from childhood becomes a craft

The Chinese woman became aware of the transformative power of art at a young age: “Once I woke up after a nap in kindergarten and painted a princess for my classmates. I cut small gaps in the figure’s skirt with a pair of scissors and held the picture up to the sun. The skirt seemed to glow and the classmates were completely surprised and happy,” recalls Yitian. “At that moment, my interest in painting was awakened. After all these years, nothing has changed since that afternoon in kindergarten. Every day when I wake up, I want to paint and make people happy with my pictures.” She finds inspiration where others think it’s just junk. Yitian stages brightly colored plastic toys, which are pumped out in masses by factories, photographically as still lifes and translates them onto canvas with acrylic paint. What we once held in our hands as a child now returns to our consciousness as a larger-than-life icon. No longer a carefree pastime, but a symbol of the problems of our world: mass production, overconsumption, fast pace. However, the care and grandeur that Yitian bestows on her motifs tears away these negative labels and transforms the cheap banality into radiant craftsmanship. Long before Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House occupied our feature pages last summer, Yitian’s Malibu-tanned doll heads in the museum were thought-provoking. Contemporary art “Made in China” has gained international appeal through the work of Sun Yintian. Her paintings can now be found in museums and art collections in Europe, Australia and America. And have gained prominent fans – such as Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director Nicolas Ghesquière. When Yitian exhibited at the Esther Schipper Gallery in Paris last fall, she was invited by the luxury fashion house to collaborate. “I was shown a display of fabrics inspired by the colors of my work. As well as my printed works on different materials. I admired the creativity and efficiency of the brand and was able to learn a lot about the exquisite production techniques,” says Yitian, describing the initial rendezvous.

The artist and the fashion house

As she spends most of her time in her studio, where she stains all her clothes with paint anyway, Yitian’s personal choice of clothes is primarily based on comfort. But as a student of beautiful things, she is also fascinated by fashion. Seeing her designs no longer just hanging on the wall, but in motion on the catwalk at the premiere show in Shanghai’s Long Museum was an impressive experience: “When the music plays, the model comes towards you with huge animal prints, as if dynamic paintings are walking towards you in rhythm. Slowly, the animal images disappear, leaving only abstract lines and colors that intertwine,” Yitian describes the experience. “Due to the constant rotation of the models, even the colors eventually disappear and all the designs become a kind of black and white, a kind of void. At this moment, a peripheral area is created that should actually be devoid of people. But it is still filled with drumbeats, light, ambition and longing,” she says, rounding off the transcendental moment.

From disposable toy to work of art to fashion accessory, Sun Yintian’s motifs have completed a fascinating cycle. In each instance, they are charged with a new meaning as a symbol and consumed in a different way. Playful and colorful, however, they trigger spontaneous happiness in the audience in every form – just as it started after a nap in kindergarten.

Louis Vuitton x Sun Yitian: Animogram

Louis Vuitton’s pre-fall collection? Beastly good. The Maison is relaunching a selection of its classics with designs by Chinese artist Sun Yitian. Bags, sneakers, sandals and various accessories thus become the playground of a candy-colored menagerie. The ready-to-wear line of dresses, coats, sweaters and skirts designed by Nicolas Ghesquière also ensures that autumn is guaranteed not to be gray. The cute creatures also adorn the flacons of the signature fragrances “Spell On You”, “Imagination” and “Heures d’Absence” as limited-edition pendants. With such a good mood offensive, it’s much easier to say goodbye to summer.