Louis Vuitton and Nik Thakkar’s Packing Essentials

ABOVE: NIK THAKKAR IN LOUIS VUITTON AW13-14. PHOTO BY JAMIE MCGREGOR SMITH.

Packing is a god-given talent bestowed on a fortunate few—and if you’re not one of them, it’s an anxiety-inducing experience of shoving and crushing and hemming and hawing. Leave it to Louis Vuitton, the brand that designs the most iconic and coveted luxury luggage, to present us with a guide to take the stress and screamed obscenities out of packing. “Packing has had negative connotations since the beginning of civility,” explains fashion creative Nik Thakkar, who developed the guide. “This is in part due to the fact that it comes hand in hand with time pressure and anxiety over the uncertainty of the event one is packing for.” Thakkar took cues from the Vuitton luggage masterminds at their Bond Street maison to hone in on five key packing tips. With practicality, functionality and the meditative qualities of travel in mind, the guide makes packing almost as enjoyable as lounging on a beach in Saint-Tropez. Thakkar’s key piece of advice to an anxious packer is that less is more. “Simplicity and minimalism in your approach and choices will lend itself to a more timeless aesthetic,” he says. “Pack with the intention for the best incarnation of yourself.”

THE LOUIS VUITTON AW13-14 MENSWEAR COLLECTION IS NOW AVAILABLE AT THE NEW HARRODS MENS STORE IN LONDON. FOR MORE ON THE ART OF PACKING, VISIT LOUIS VUITTON.