Alex Israel and Louis Vuitton turn a California icon into a collectible fragrance object
A station wagon, a fragrance set, and a luxury house’s exacting craft converge in Alex Israel’s latest project with Louis Vuitton. The Los Angeles-based artist has reunited with the French maison for Woody Wagon Colognes, a limited-edition release inspired by Southern California’s beloved “woody” surf wagons and built around a miniature wooden vehicle that houses six colognes.
The centerpiece is produced in an edition of 66, a nod to Route 66, and took more than 7,000 hours to make. Crafted by 60 artisans, the object is composed of 219 individually assembled elements and finished with mahogany paneling, engraved monogram doors, monogram flower wheel details, and natural beige leather trim. It is less a packaging exercise than a sculptural interpretation of a regional symbol, filtered through Israel’s sunlit, image-conscious view of Los Angeles.
The collaboration extends a partnership that began in 2019, when Israel worked with master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud on Louis Vuitton’s Cologne collection. Since then, the artist has continued to mine the visual mythology of Southern California — its roads, light, and promise of ease — as a recurring subject in his practice.
“I’m thrilled to continue exploring my favorite landscape, Los Angeles, on this road trip with Jacques Cavallier Belletrud and Louis Vuitton,” Israel said in a statement. “The Woody Wagon has long embodied a certain Californian freedom: surfboard on the roof, family in the back, and the Pacific just over the next hill.”
Louis Vuitton is also releasing three translucent travel cases for Sun Song, California Dream, and Afternoon Swim. Each is produced in an edition of 100 and uses resin with color gradients drawn from the West Coast, from ocean blues to sunset tones. The cases continue Israel’s interest in light, landscape, and the visual codes of Los Angeles.
The Woody Wagon Colognes set is priced at $11,700 and will be available by preorder this summer, with deliveries expected in late September. The travel cases will retail for $1,400 each. The release adds another chapter to Louis Vuitton’s long-running engagement with contemporary artists, a roster that has included Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, and Keith Haring.
