Louis Vuitton launches limited-edition men’s bags and accessories for Fifa 2018

The leather bags are inspired by the official match ball of the World Cup held in Mexico in 1970

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On June 14, the Fifa World Cup kicks off in Moscow, when the Russian hosts play Saudi Arabia. Saudi is one of only four Arab nations to have qualified, so the opening game will be a double celebration for football fans in this region. To help mark the occasion both here and worldwide, French fashion label Louis Vuitton has announced the launch of a series of bags and accessories.

Being Louis Vuitton, however, these aren’t any old bags. Far from it. These are leather bags inspired by the official match ball of the World Cup held in Mexico in 1970.

Football fans may already know that Louis Vuitton has been making the travel case for the World Cup Trophy since 2010, meaning this excursion into men’s accessories has, for many, been hotly anticipated.

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This new range of bags – or rather the existing Apollo backpack and Keepall bags now reimagined – are created from Vuitton’s Epi leather, famous for its quality since its launch in the 1920s. With a horizontal grain, Epi leather is tanned using only vegetable extracts, which allows the leather to take on a vibrant colour when dyed. That intense colour is used to full effect in this collection, with the bags creafted in three striking combinations – red and white, black and white, and blue and white.

Each item is constructed from patchworks of ­alternatively ­coloured hexagonal pieces – just like the football that inspired them. However, merely cutting the sections into shapes was never going to be enough for Vuitton. Instead, to better recreate the weight and texture of the ­original 1970 football, the leather has been painstakingly worked using an innovative and laborious three-stage ­embossing process.

Louis Vuitton Fifa collection
Louis Vuitton Fifa collection

For those who want to go the extra mile for the occasion, the Keepall bag can also be customised using eight colours, which when combined with the additional five colour choices for the trimming, can replicate almost any nation's flag. You can also add an accompanying luggage tag embossed with the flag of one of 35 countries. Naturally, initials can be embossed on to the bags, and matching wallets are also available. 

The Keepall is the ideal size for a two or three-day break, making it the perfect hand luggage for those travelling to Moscow to watch the matches. The bad news? These strictly limited-­edition pieces are only available in selected Louis ­Vuitton stores and online on June 14 and 15.