MELBOURNE – In reimagining its iconic travelling trunk, Louis Vuitton turned to globally influential product and industrial designer Marc Newson.

The 60-year-old Australian was involved in the design of the Apple Watch in 2014. His works are also in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the V&A Museum in London.

And he has collaborated with the French luxury fashion house to create the Cabinet of Curiosities – a travelling trunk that transforms into an elegant display case with 19 leather-covered modules inside to showcase small objects of desire.

Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854, has a long history of making luxury luggage. But its trunks, handcrafted at its atelier in Asnieres, France, are nowadays more likely to be displayed as objets d’art in stylish living rooms than transported in the cargo hold of an aeroplane.

The Cabinet of Curiosities is like a piece of furniture and is the first trunk engineered to be opened 180 degrees, allowing its contents to be displayed like objets d’art as well.

Newson, who lives in Britain, says: “Although in some ways I had a greater level of freedom as I do with art pieces rather than products, the trunk is a fundamentally practical object with a distinct function and history, and I did not want to stray from this.”

At $370,000, the limited-edition trunk – of which just 40 pieces are available – is pricey, but Newson’s designs have become collectibles.

Design aficionados will know that in 2015, his Lockheed Lounge (1988) – a chaise longue with riveted aluminium panels – was auctioned for £2,434,500 (S$4.1 million), making it one of the most expensive pieces of modern furniture.

For Newson, design is “largely an exercise in problem-solving”.

“The challenge I often face when working on projects with Louis Vuitton, or companies with similar heritage, is how to express their DNA while also expressing mine,” he tells The Straits Times in an e-mail interview.

For example, the modules’ rounded edges hint at the futuristic aesthetic for which Newson is known. 

“I’d like to think you could look at something I’ve designed and recognise it was by me, and in my handwriting,” he adds.

The Cabinet of Curiosities measures 60cm long, 69cm wide and 112.5cm high. It is finished with classic Louis Vuitton coated canvas and cowhide, and features a brass lock and lock bucket in a golden metallic finish – a style recognisable in Louis Vuitton trunks created since the 1860s.

The modules come in three colourways – natural leather; vivid yellow; and a striking combination of red, green and blue. They are also removable, and the internal arrangement can be reconfigured in multiple ways.

The smallest cubes can be reversed and have a hinged door on one side, behind which objects can be concealed. “I had been exploring systems of display for some time, having struggled to find shelving cabinets that I really liked to use,” Newson adds.

ST was invited to view the Cabinet of Curiosities in Melbourne, Australia, at a Louis Vuitton private event called Savoir Rever.

Set in a luxurious 19th-century mansion, Savoir Rever is an exhibition of specially designed trunks, limited-edition travel-inspired furniture and objects from Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection made in collaboration with internationally renowned designers. They include Netherlands’ Marcel Wanders and Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana.

It is also a showcase for the brand’s high jewellery and watches.

The 2024 edition ran from Jan 24 to Feb 4. Savoir Rever’s first exhibitions were held in 2023 in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, with exhibits specially curated for each city. 

The Melbourne event coincided with the 2024 Australian Open tennis tournament, for which Louis Vuitton created two Official Trophy Trunks: one for the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup for women and the other for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for men.

Also present at Savoir Rever was former New Zealand All Blacks rugby star Dan Carter, 41, who collaborated with Louis Vuitton on a new Malle Vestiaire, or wardrobe trunk.

Speaking to ST, Carter, who retired from professional rugby in 2021, says he wanted a trunk that would evoke the excitement of getting ready for a match.

The all-time highest point scorer in test match rugby union adds: “I wanted the trunk to represent a changing room, with all my rugby equipment around me.”

This specification was taken quite literally by the craftsmen at Louis Vuitton, who built a small bench with wooden slats into the Malle Vestiaire that resembles those found in changing rooms.

“I have actually sat in my trunk,” Carter adds.

The $221,000 trunk measures 85cm long, 66cm wide and 145cm high. It is covered in Louis Vuitton Monogram Eclipse canvas, and is finished with distinctive painted logos and numbers specific to Carter.

This includes DC10, which refers to his player number, and 1,598, the record number of points he scored in international rugby.

Carter could have chosen any of the fashion house’s canvas patterns, but he decided on the Monogram Eclipse canvas for its subtle silver-on-black monogram pattern. “I am a minimalist,” he says. 

The trunk interior’s signature malletage, or criss-cross padding, is also in a sportier mesh material, instead of the usual microfibre.

Carter worked with artisans at the Asnieres atelier to create the bespoke trunk, which he wanted to hold his precious sports equipment and memorabilia.

These include three World Rugby Player of the Year awards; three Rugby World Cup medals; three jerseys he wore at Rugby World Cups and the Louis Vuitton rugby ball he created in collaboration with the fashion house in 2019. 

Growing up in Southbridge, a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, Carter had not been exposed to fashion in his youth. But he nevertheless made bold fashion choices, such as dyeing his hair blue at 17.

But it was only in the early 2000s, when he started to tour the world playing rugby, that he was exposed to luxury fashion in Europe’s style capitals.

In Paris, he remembers standing outside the Louis Vuitton store, nervous about going in. When he finally stepped inside, a security guard followed him around the store. 

Playing professional rugby had taught Carter to perform under pressure, however.

Undeterred by the guard, he bought a hooded jacket. He remembers it was designed by the house’s artistic director at the time, American designer Marc Jacobs. “I still wear that jacket today,” he says.

It was the first of many items from Louis Vuitton that Carter would acquire. His fascination with the brand is now so well known that his teammates bought him a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk from the 1930s to mark his 100th international game in 2013. 

Carter can now add his Malle Vestiaire to his collection, which – like the two vintage trunks he owns – will likely last for years to come.

Info: The Cabinet of Curiosities and Dan Carter Malle Vestiaire can be ordered in stores or through the Louis Vuitton Client Service Team. Call 6788-3888 or make an appointment online via ap.louisvuitton.com