The relationship between fashion and architecture has tightened more and more in recent years. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies opened its iconic campus designed by Louis Kahn to Louis Vuitton for a private fashion show presenting the brand’s Cruise 2023 collection. It was the first time the location hold a similar event.

The travertine courtyard was transformed into a temporary runway cutted by the water of “River of Life” and framed by the two concrete buildings. On the background, the light of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean flooded the show.

The sun plays an active part in the evolution of this collection. The unique light of the West Coast on the fabrics give the illusion of a metallic palette, reverberating and shimmering. The vibrations and reflections of the silhouettes dialogue with the sunset, the building and the water.

“Salk has a global reputation as ‘a cathedral to science, an homage to art’,” said Salk President Rusty Gage. “The Institute’s founder, Jonas Salk, understood that art and science come from the same creative source. It was his intention that his Institute become a place where scientists and artists could both find inspiration, and we’re honored that Louis Vuitton found inspiration here”.