Review of Louis Vuitton Travel 2025 Ad Campaign by Photographer Alec Soth
In its Spring 2025 Travel Campaign, Louis Vuitton once again leans into its legacy of wanderlust and craftsmanship, journeying into the heart of China’s poetic landscapes through the lens of photographer Alec Soth. Shot along the Lijiang River in Guilin, the campaign frames Vuitton’s monogrammed icons against a striking backdrop of karst peaks, bamboo rafts, and tranquil water—a visually cinematic contrast between time-honored natural beauty and storied luxury design.
Renowned for his atmospheric, narrative-rich photography, Soth brings a documentarian’s eye and a soft surrealism to the series. The visuals feel meditative, even mystical: stacked trunks float across still waters, while cormorants perch alongside Keepall bags like ancient travel companions. In one image, a stack of hard cases towers like a sacred totem, crowned with a parasol at sunset—half sculpture, half shrine. There are no models, no movement—just luggage as the silent protagonist on a spiritual voyage.
The result is less about destination than contemplation. It’s not the kind of travel that demands urgency, but one that invites slowness, solitude, and reverence. The absence of people places the focus squarely on the objects themselves: Monogram Horizon trunks, Alzer hard cases, Soft Keepall bags, and archival-style Coffret pieces arranged as symbols of heritage, artistry, and enduring exploration.
While the campaign’s cultural sensitivity could be scrutinized in how it stylizes Chinese scenery for a Western luxury lens, it does resist gimmickry. Instead, the imagery offers a quiet, respectful tribute to landscape and craftsmanship alike—allowing space, literally and figuratively, for viewers to breathe and imagine.
With two more chapters set to unfold in Zhangjiajie and Datong, the campaign positions Louis Vuitton not just as a purveyor of travel gear, but as a chronicler of transcendent journeys.
Photographer | Alec Soth
Location | Guilin’s Karst Mountains, China