Beauty legend Pat McGrath on developing Louis Vuitton’s first make-up range
The artist established her own line called Pat McGrath Labs, after a career collaborating with houses from Maison Margiela and Schiaparelli to Miu Miu
When Louis Vuitton announced the launch of its first make-up range earlier this year, it came as little surprise that the mastermind behind it would be Pat McGrath.
The British make-up artist has created some of the most striking beauty looks of the last three decades and has been collaborating with the French house for more than 20 years.
Her work for brands ranging from Maison Margiela and Schiaparelli to Miu Miu, as well as for Louis Vuitton, is just as influential as the clothes walking those runways.
McGrath – who 10 years ago established her own make-up line, Pat McGrath Labs – has a long history with Nicolas Ghesquière, women’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton, having created the make-up for his shows since he presented his first collection in 2014.
Their collaboration runs the gamut from barely there nudes to bold colours inspired by kabuki theatre, McGrath shared at a hush-hush preview of her La Beauté Louis Vuitton collection during the haute couture shows in July in Paris.
“It’s a relationship built on friendship, and we love to create characters together,” says McGrath. “With the line, I had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted, and that was a lot of fun. But again, as you can see from the shows – whether we’re doing dramatic, pointed gothic lips or the David Bowie faces of last season, and then in Avignon, that nod to medieval but with a bit of glam rock – it’s always a lot of fun.”
Translating those adventurous looks into products that would appeal to a broad range of audiences was paramount to McGrath, who chose two categories: lips and eyes.
As she explained in Paris and in a follow-up video interview, this is not just any make-up launch. La Beauté Louis Vuitton is a whole universe that also highlights the house’s heritage as a trunk maker and a company steeped in travel.
While this is far from the first time a top luxury maison has made forays into beauty, Louis Vuitton went further than most, creating a series of leather goods and accessories – including a made-to-order trunk that is basically a travelling glam room – to accompany the products.