Electric vehicle (EV) maker Arrival and Louis Vuitton have revealed their collaboration to celebrate Louis200 festivities, alongside BTS, Lego, Barnaba Fornasetti and Zhao Zhao.

Louis Vuitton revealed how it will celebrate its Founder’s 200th birthday, by partnering with 200 creatives and innovators reimagine the iconic trunk invented by Mr Vuitton in the 1850s.

One of the innovators invited to collaborate with the French luxury house is electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, Arrival (NASDAQ: ARVL). Arrival are best known for their work in pioneering a unique new method of design and production of affordable EVs by local Microfactories.

Arrival’s recreated the Louis Vuitton trunk out of its own proprietary composite materials, made in a local Microfactory. The composite materials are lighter than steel, lower in cost, 100% sustainable, as well as extend product life. They are designed to be reused and recycled over again and each time, enabling Arrival to offset the negative impacts of mining and manufacturing raw materials. Additionally, the company’s Microfactories are located near to demand, creating local jobs, using local supply chains and paying local taxes, ensuring huge regional benefits for communities around the world, and reducing the impact of global shipping to further increase sustainability.

“200 years ago Louis Vuiton changed the game of fashion, and we are doing the same to the auto industry. The Microfactory is an incredibly versatile playground for building different types of products, using the same building blocks we have developed over the last 6 years. We are using the same sustainable materials we use for our vehicles to make this iconic trunk,” said Rob Thompson, SVP of Materials at Arrival. “A lot of the tools and materials we have created for our own products have enabled us to
turn products around quickly. When this project came in we were able to go from [design] to the finished trunk in a matter of weeks, which is unlike any other automotive manufacturer; and that is because of our Microfactory.”

“The Louis Vuitton trunk is an iconic object. It’s a vessel for different ideas to combine new thinking and innovation, with new technological ideas of the future and dealing with the challenges of now. There are similarities between what Louis Vuitton was doing at the time of inventing the Louis Vuitton trunk to what Arrival is doing today. Arrival’s trunk is incredibly fascinating because it crosses over between asking quite functional questions around materials, sustainability, and manufacturing, and turns them into an art-based execution” said Ansel Thompson, Art Director at LVMH.

As part of the Louis 200 festivities, the Maison is showcasing 200 exclusive display windows created by 200 exceptional talents. Arrival’s contribution is on display in Louis Vuitton store windows now.

Images: Supplied by Arrival

by Amanda Johnstone