Without getting too deep in how the whole thing works—an indigenous Brazilian spirit known as Cacique Cobra Coral is apparently involved—the mediums appeared to deliver for Louis Vuitton. For high-stakes outdoor shows in Rio in 2016 and in Kyoto in 2017, the skies held. I tracked down Santos, who did not respond to a request for comment, but I’m told he was the source of Vogue World’s good karma, too.
There is a rich tradition of fashion people holding eccentric superstitions. Christian Dior consulted a fortune teller and Yves Saint Laurent assigned supernatural qualities to his French bulldog, Moujik. According to reports, the Brazilian shamans—who apparently flew exclusively first class—eventually wore out their welcome with Vuitton shot-callers, who were said to have put an end to the pricey practice following the Rio show. Or as Page Six put it at the time: “LVMH brass cut the big kahuna loose.”
That is, until the south of France was besieged by storms and flooding in May of 2018, when Louis Vuitton was set to hold a cruise show at the Fondation Maeght, an art museum in the hills above Cannes. A Dior show held nearby the week before was a soggy mess. “There were biblical floods, celebrities were walking out,” one attendee sniffed, adding that “Dior didn’t use the shaman.” The big kahuna was back on. Under relentlessly stormy skies, not a drop hit the LV runway. Wrote the stylist Kate Young in a post-show diary, of Santos, “All his work succeeded (kissing trees, or so I heard), because it didn’t rain until after the show finished!”
One could certainly argue that all it takes to pull off a dry show is a little luck and some sophisticated radar. Within reason, things can be rushed or delayed to sneak into a clear window on a cloudy day.
As for Rick Owens? As I warmed myself in the sun at Palais de Tokyo, I noticed an incense holder in the form of Hindu deity Ganesh tucked under a bench, around where Mel Ottenberg was about to take his seat. A Rick Owens publicist claimed no knowledge of its significance, but a production staffer clued me in that the incense had been lit as an offering to the rain gods. “I hear Rick’s guy is good,” joked a wry insider.
After the show, as the skies darkened and I sought out shelter, I found myself wanting to believe.
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