Louis Vuitton’s latest in a string of artist collaborations is with Indonesian painter Eko Nugroho. Together they created this giant shawl:

“Frankly, I don’t know how they chose me,” said Eko, 36, who was last year asked to work with Louis Vuitton.

“I didn’t say ‘yes,’ straight away,” he recalled. “I really had to think about it because I’m not a textile designer.”

Eko’s artistic works are generally comics, murals, paintings and videos.

He ultimately agreed to take on the project because he believed it was a new challenge and rare opportunity for him.

For the scarf’s design, Eko created two oil paintings within six months.

Louis Vuitton chose one of Eko’s paintings and produced it as a scarf.

“They gave me freedom to experiment and express my talents as an artist, and I truly respect them for that,” Eko said.

He also had the right to approve the final design, which he named “Republik Tropis,” before it went into production.

Louis Vuitton Draws on Indonesian Artistic Talent (Jakarta Globe)