Louis Vuitton's cruise through Barcelona prepares the next Copa América

Louis Vuitton arrived in Barcelona with a suitably eclectic Catalan cruise collection by Nicolas Ghèsquiere, presented on Thursday night amid the splendor of Park Güell, even as eco-protesters blocked guests arriving for the show.

While the brand's sponsor, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, who sat front row alongside actress Léa Seydoux, also arrived in town, mooring his giant 101-metre superyacht 'Symphony' in the main port .

Combining elements of modernism, Art Nouveau, Mediterranean Gothic and even Velasquez, Ghèsquiere combined a whole range of inspirations into a spectacular collection and show.

The first dozen models appear in bolero-style riding hats worn at a jaunty angle and voluminous contoured coats, curvy dresses or bomber jackets. Opening with a sensational beige raffia cape dress with pockets topped with a white shawl collar; She is worn with strapped patent leather ankle boots and sporty turquoise insect screens.

Setting the stage for a combination of technological sports ideas and gothic shapes. Ideal for its location, the historic Park Güell, a beautiful garden that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created by the legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Ghesquière's latest collection for Vuitton held in an architecturally famous venue. Previous sites include John Lautner's Bob & Dolores Hope Estate in Palm Springs; Oscar Niemeyer's MAC in Brazil; Maeght Foundation by Josep Lluís Sert in Saint-Paul-de-Vence; and the Eero Saarinen TWA terminal at JFK Airport.

For evening, Nicolas played with lace mantilla cocktails, but very much in his own way: cutting them into frou frou minidresses or extending them to the floor when paired with fringed tuxedos.

As a child, Ghesquière visited Spain with his family and those early influences were evident in many looks. A middle section mixed the spiritual with the seductive: black-and-white nun's cassocks above the knee, made with enormous sleeves and intended for layman-chic punk rockers. Cistercians, Servants of Mary chic.

Before going into overdrive with a wonderful quartet in taffeta, crumpled like capes for the coronation of the virgin, but again brief and daring.

“All the clichés of Spain and much more,” said Ghesquière, whose highly individualistic vision earned him a two-minute applause when he took a long bow.

This trip to Barcelona and the collection also underlined how much the Copa América means to Vuitton. The house is the main sponsor of the next edition of the great nautical regatta, which starts on August 29 in Barcelona.

“The America's Cup is the largest sailing competition, without exception. And Vuitton is the biggest luxury fashion brand there is. Therefore, they fit perfectly,” explained Grant Dalton, general manager of the New Zealand team, the reigning America's Cup champion, who sat in the front row.

In 1983, when Henry Racamier was still CEO of Vuitton and luxury support for the sport was still quite rare, the house began sponsoring the Louis Vuitton Cup, the competition to find the challengers who would face the defending yacht club in the final of the America's Cup.

That year, when the final was held in Newport, Rhode Island, it went down in history when Australia II ended the longest winning streak in the history of the sport (132 years) by beating the New York Yacht Club. Dennis Conner, the losing American captain, compared the defeat to “like losing the Panama Canal.”

However, Vuitton took a break in 2011, the most recent edition, when the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club retained the trophy in Auckland. She has now returned with a vengeance. Sponsor the Louis Vuitton Cup and add your name to the final series, which is now officially titled Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup.

“I feel Bernard Arnault's hand in all this. Clearly, he decided that if I was going to sponsor the America's Cup, we might as well include the Louis Vuitton name throughout the competition,” noted the no-nonsense Dalton, 66, who has raced around the world seven times. .

Increasingly, the Copa América is a design competition. A decade ago, crews had up to 17 members and yacht designers half that number. This year, teams will have eight sailors, while some challengers like Switzerland's Allinghi will have more than 40 designers. Powered by technological support from Red Bull and its Formula One franchise.

All of this makes the America's Cup an ideal company for Vuitton and Ghesquière, whose aesthetic revolves around combining active sports with experimental haute couture.

Let the races begin.