In the early autumn evening, facing the sea breeze and sunset, Louis Vuitton 2023 spring/summer men's show opened in Anaya Gold Coast.

Following the concept of "Enlarged Playground" at the menswear show in Paris this June, Louis Vuitton has built a sand sculpture in Anaya, where models wear a new collection conceived and created by the brand's men's ready-to-wear studio team, bringing us once again to feel the innocence and fun that fashion can carry.

The fashion show destination was chosen in Anaya, and the starting point was to start from Dunhuang. Before the show opened, the pre-show film Mirage, produced and directed by Jia Zhangke and Wei Shujun respectively, finally unveiled the mystery.

Following the perspective of the film, the minds of the audience at the scene and in front of the screen travel to Dunhuang, more than 2,000 kilometers away from the show, to enjoy this story of childhood, exploration and community.

The story is set in a pair of siblings living in Dunhuang, they enjoy the freedom of young life, running in the desert, flower beds, but also yearning for the distant sea.

Until one day, the brother and sister meet a mysterious magician and get a special gift - glasses that can transcend time and space, and then the desert on which they live makes waves, and the children see Anaya billow in a mirage.

Two young actors wandering in a field of flowers.

Directors Jia Zhangke and Wei Shujun not only worked together on the prologue film, but also co-directed the whole show.

Starting with the plan for the annual show, Mr. Jia imagined a connection between Dunhuang, the beginning of the Silk Road, and Anaya, which had similar features: sand and blue sky.

Anaya is moist and has water elements; Dunhuang dry, is endless Gobi.

This connection also triggered Jia Zhangke's deeper thinking: "Are these two related?" What kind of mapping relationship can arise between them? It reminds me of a chance encounter I had in the desert, and it was a mirage -- is a mirage a real thing? Is it our ideal fantasy? It is both a natural wonder and has a Buddhist 'like a bubble, like dew and like electricity', which contains a very strong Eastern philosophy."

Perhaps this philosophy cannot be fully explained in more than three minutes of film, but Jia Zhangke and Wei Shujun want to create a temperament, through Louis Vuitton clothes, the show and nature, to form people's thoughts about the color and meaning of life.

In many details of this film, we can feel the connection and progression with the show space.

When we combine the two, we will find that the short film plays a fascinating role in the whole event, and the boys' sunglasses and the girls' gauze scarves are all closely combined with the big show.

"It's not like making a movie. It doesn't stand on its own, because the film is integrated with the show, as if the guests are about to be entertained, and we help to entertain them before the show begins." Wei Shujun explains the different meaning of Mirage and the usual film creation in this way.

Through the innovation of region, scene and arrangement, the two directors hope that this fashion show can bring a different experience from the Paris show in a different viewing environment.

As Wei Shujun said, "This time, we were at the Anaya Beach at sunset, accompanied by a giant sand sculpture, which seemed to be a more magical and imaginative experience."

On the other end of the glasses appeared a scene of the sea of Anaya

The story of the film comes to an end again, and the big show in reality is about to take place.

From the short film to the show, this cooperation is a rare experience for Louis Vuitton and the Chinese market.

Director Jia Zhangke also described this as a "2.0 version of cooperation" : "Since China's reform and opening up, international brands have entered China, this process is not only these brands in the decades of understanding of Chinese society, Chinese culture, but also Chinese consumers through these brands to understand the process of business culture behind fashion."

The Louis Vuitton Anaya show may be seen as a turning point, "Such a mutual understanding allows these brands to continue to land, continue to localize, so that they are more and more close to Chinese society."