My Hunt for That Vuitton Sprouse Vibe
So, I got this idea stuck in my head a while back. Remember that Louis Vuitton stuff with the bright, kinda graffiti-like print? Yeah, the Stephen Sprouse collaboration. It just popped into my mind, probably saw a picture somewhere online or maybe dug up an old magazine. Anyway, I thought, “Man, I gotta get my hands on a piece of that.” Looked way cooler than a lot of the newer things, you know? More attitude.
First step, obviously, was figuring out what I actually wanted. There were the roses, the neon graffiti… lots to choose from from those early 2000s collections. I kinda leaned towards the graffiti Speedy bag. Classic shape, but with that punk rock edge Sprouse gave it. Seemed like the one to track down.
Okay, the search started. Jumped onto all the usual spots online – you know, the big pre-owned luxury sites, auction places, even some forums. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. Seemed like everyone either wanted a fortune for one, or the condition was just beat up. Scratched corners, faded print, dirty handles. Not what I was looking for.
And the fakes! Oh boy. So many fakes. Some looked decent in pictures, but you could just tell something was off. The font wasn’t quite right, the colors looked a bit dull. Spent hours just comparing photos side-by-side with pictures I knew were legit. It gets tiring, sifting through all that junk.
- Checked countless listings daily.
- Sent messages asking for more specific photos – close-ups of hardware, date codes, inside lining.
- Got ghosted by sellers sometimes, or got blurry pics back. Total waste of time.
There was this one time I thought I’d found it. A graffiti Speedy, looked okay in the photos, price wasn’t totally insane. Got talking to the seller, asked for the date code picture. They sent it, and bam – totally wrong format for the year they claimed the bag was from. Dodged a bullet there. You really gotta do your homework, or you’ll get burned.
Then, things changed a bit. I stumbled upon a listing on a smaller, curated vintage site. A Speedy 30, the neon green graffiti version. Looked pretty clean in the photos. The seller had good reviews, seemed legit. Price was high, yeah, but maybe worth it if it was the real deal and in good shape.
I messaged them, asked all my usual annoying questions, requested extra photos. They were super patient, sent everything I asked for. The date code checked out. The stitching looked right. The alignment of the graffiti over the monogram pattern seemed correct based on my research. Felt like this might actually be it.
Pulled the trigger. Felt a bit nuts spending that much on an old bag, but the excitement was real. Waiting for it to arrive was agony. Checked the tracking number like ten times a day.
When the box finally showed up, I carefully opened it. And there it was. Honestly, it looked even better in person. The canvas was still vibrant, the leather had that nice honey patina but wasn’t wrecked. Checked all the details again – zipper pulls, interior pocket, heat stamp. Everything matched up. Huge sigh of relief.
So yeah, took a while, lot of searching, plenty of frustration dealing with fakes and bad listings. But finally got my hands on that Sprouse piece I wanted. It’s sitting right here now, looking cool. Definitely worth the effort, adds something special, you know? That hunt was part of the fun, I guess. Makes you appreciate it more when you finally get it.
