Louis Vuitton’s Next Generation Steps Up to Kanye’s Latest Tune

At last week’s Louis Vuitton menswear show in Paris, newly hired designer Virgil Abloh sent hoodie-clad models down the runway toting duffel bags made from gleaming high-tech plastic, all to the latest Kanye West album. West, who embraced the tearful designer as he took his bows, was joined by his wife, Instagram super-influencer Kim Kardashian. Seated steps away: Bernard Arnault, head of parent company LVMH, and four of his adult children.

The duffels, embossed with the LV logo, were a far cry from the monogrammed brown bags that helped LVMH define and dominate the global luxury industry. They’re just one of the many ways the company is remaking itself as the next generation of Arnaults carves out a greater role. Of Bernard’s five children from two marriages, all but the youngest one hold senior positions at LVMH.