The purpose of this case study is to compare two luxury brands’ collaborations with modern Korean artists and the qualitative results achieved by the projects. As argued by J.N. Kapferer (2014), through associations with artists, luxury brands are striving to present themselves as part of a creative industry and as a result elevate and legitimize their brand image. This article focuses specifically on Christian Dior’s Dior Lady Art series and Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines due to the similarity in project structure – the final presentation in form of an exhibition – as well as the objects produced – bags elevated to the status of artworks but still maintaining functionality. Through the selected case studies, this article first explores how partnering with Korean artists enables brands to localize and engage more personally with Korean consumers while building deeper relationships with international consumers by leveraging the continuously growing global popularity of Korean culture. The study then examines how the collaborations contribute to the brands’ goal to present themselves as more authentic – in luxury terms, delivering exceptional experience characterized by high quality, craftsmanship, preciousness, and timelessness (The Quarry Gallery, 2023). This is achieved by providing artists with a platform to reinterpret iconic bags into artwork. Lastly, the article analyzes how, through these limitededition items, the brands are also able to reinforce the idea of luxury as financial investment and a way to build family heritage.

• Dominika Kustosz-Lee(SDA Bocconi)