— A deeper dive into Louis Vuitton and luxury’s unexpected return to animated videos.
Louis Vuitton, the name synonymous with luxury, just did something… unconventional.
Four new animated videos popped up on their Instagram feed. No model struts. No ultra-styled product slow-mos. No champagne-soaked celebrity cameos.
Just animation.
And not high-end 3D CGI or hyperreal VFX—this was bold, stylised, unmistakably animated content.
Which begs the question: Why is one of the world’s most iconic fashion houses tapping into a format that most premium brands left behind years ago?
Let’s rewind a bit.
When Animation Was the Darling of the Internet
Remember the early 2010s? Animated explainer videos were the thing. Especially for tech startups. You couldn’t scroll two minutes without seeing a cheerful character hopping across a screen explaining how some cloud-based platform could revolutionise your workflow.
Animation was practical. It was cost-effective. Most importantly, it could simplify the abstract.
Animation was once valued for its practicality, cost-effectiveness, and its unmatched ability to simplify the abstract. But when it came to luxury and lifestyle brands, animation never quite fit in. It was seen as playful—better suited for children’s content or quirky tech startups. High-end brands preferred to stay in their comfort zone: cinematic visuals, golden-hour lighting, and airbrushed perfection.
Luxury stayed safe. Cinematic. Airbrushed. Photographed in the golden hour.
Until now.
So Why Is Louis Vuitton Bringing Animation Back?
There’s no official press release explaining the move. But here’s what this pivot might be saying:
- Disrupt the Feed, Not Just the Market
Every other reel on Instagram follows the same blueprint: pristine model, slow-mo spin, ambient music, glowing product. After a while, they blend together.
Animation? That’s a pattern break.
It’s a scroll-stopper. A visual curveball. When a brand known for luxury leather goods opts for playful visuals instead of polished minimalism, you notice. You double-take. You watch.
In 2025, attention is premium currency. And animation is suddenly fresh again.
- Nostalgia Is the New Luxury
Is Louis Vuitton promoting ties into a retro aesthetic—because if it is, then the animated treatment is pitch-perfect. Animation has an innate ability to tap into our younger selves. It can be whimsical, warm, and deeply nostalgic.
And right now, nostalgia is trending across sectors—from fashion revivals to 90s sitcom aesthetics. In an age where the future feels uncertain, the past feels comforting.
So maybe, just maybe, animation is their way of saying: “Remember when things felt simpler?”
- Have We Hit Peak Hyperreal?
Between CGI, deepfakes, AI-generated faces, and overly filtered content, we’re in an era where everything looks too good to be true—because, frankly, it often is.
Animation doesn’t play that game.
It doesn’t try to look real. It owns its artificiality. And in a world where audiences are exhausted trying to decode what’s real and what’s manufactured, this level of visual honesty feels… surprisingly genuine.
Could this be the rebellion against overproduced perfection?
- Redefining What “Premium” Looks Like
Luxury used to mean live-action. Big-budget shoots. Exotic locations. Recognisable faces.
But Louis Vuitton choosing animation rewrites that definition. It says premium isn’t just about polish—it’s about distinctiveness. Imagination. Creative confidence.
If they can make you feel something with illustrated frames instead of a glossy campaign shoot, isn’t that a win?
This move might also signal a broader creative opening. Animation is no longer boxed into kids’ content or startup explainers. It can be elegant. Edgy. Emotionally resonant.
- The Format Is Changing, but the Intent Remains
Ultimately, animation is just a medium. What matters is how it’s used.
Louis Vuitton isn’t just being quirky for the sake of it. These videos are carefully art-directed, deeply stylised, and unmistakably “on-brand.” It’s animation, yes—but it’s still luxury. Still premium. Still LV.
That’s the real shift here. The confidence to break the visual mould without losing brand identity.
What Does This Mean for the Rest of Us?
If a legacy fashion house like Louis Vuitton is embracing animation in 2025, it’s time the rest of us revisit our content assumptions.
What if animation isn’t too childish?
What if simplicity is the new standout?
If a premium brand doesn’t need another model shoot—are we officially in the age where brands need to do something- anything- to break the clutter?
No clear answers yet. But one thing’s for sure: this shift is worth watching.
At FlowInk Pictures, we’ve always believed that animated videos can be powerful—even for the most premium, product-first brands. And if Louis Vuitton just turned the tide, we’re excited to see who or where it goes next.
We’re watching this space closely. And we’re excited.
