In 2002 Marc Jacobs, five years into his sixteen years as Louis Vuitton's creative director, invited the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to reimagine the house's Monogram. The result, Monogram Multicolore, appeared on the Spring/Summer 2003 runway. Sotheby's describes it as the classic brown print rendered in 33 vivid colours, hot pink, turquoise, yellow and kelly green among them, on white or black coated canvas, applied to models such as the Alma, Speedy and Pochette Accessoires.
Demand was immediate and overwhelming. Jacobs called the line a "monumental marriage between art and business", and Wikipedia notes that the work made Murakami known for blurring the line between high art and commerce, and a celebrity in Japan. It became the longest-standing artist collaboration in Vuitton's history, followed by Cherry Blossom (2003), Panda (2004), Cerises (2005), MOCA Hands (2007), Monogramouflage (2008) and Cosmic Blossom (2010).
In 2025 a capsule collection brought it and Murakami's characters back for a new generation.