With Louis Vuitton Makeup, Pat McGrath Dreams Up the Mother of all Beauty Collaborations

There’s a reason fashion insiders call Pat McGrath “Mother.” It started on set in the 1990s, with models, artists, and crew members using the moniker “because I nurtured, guided, and sometimes bossed them a little,” says the legendary makeup artist and founder of the cosmetics company Pat McGrath Labs. So it’s fitting that McGrath, who is responsible for some of the most iconic editorial and runway looks of the past 30 years (not to mention myriad viral makeup trends—glass skin, anyone?) should be the creative force behind what might be the mother of all beauty collaborations: a super luxurious makeup collection for Louis Vuitton that debuted in August with 55 richly pigmented lipsticks, 10 sheer lip balms, and eight gorgeous eye palettes, including one inspired by the cocoa hue of the French house’s signature Monogram print.

The line’s drop-dead chic, refillable packaging, created in tandem with the German industrial designer Konstantin Grcic, was inspired by elements of the brand’s heritage and is crafted from recycled aluminum and brass. “We obsessed over every detail—the weight in your hand, the click of the lipstick, the curve of the palette. Each piece is designed to be a functional, heirloom-worthy object of desire, just like a Vuitton bag or trunk,” says McGrath, who has been amassing her own collection of vintage compacts and lipsticks for decades. “I have hundreds of them. They are like tiny time capsules of beauty.” (Recently, she’s also become an avid collector of Labubu plush toys.)

For this story, the British-born, New York–based makeup maven looked to her favorite runway collaborations with Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière, including fall 2019, which was inspired by the spirit of Paris as a longtime meeting ground for different style tribes. “Many of the looks from that show featured full-on ’80s makeup, with a twist,” says McGrath. “It was about individuality before algorithms, eclecticism before everything was flattened online. The makeup reflected that mosaic. It was expressive, graphic, and a little punk.”

Ghesquière’s fall 2025 show, which took place in a train station and aimed to capture the beauty of strangers going their separate ways yet moving together in harmony, evoked a similar spirit for McGrath. “The moods were different but connected,” she says, referring to the exploration of individuality within groups. In that instance, she went for radiant skin “touched with poetry”—stained lips, taupe shadows shaping the eyes, bursts of unconventional color, and face art that referenced alternative subcultures. “Each look became its own story. The artistry wasn’t uniform; it was personal.”

Indeed, McGrath’s approach to creativity is seldom one-note. “I’m inspired by everywhere and everyone,” she says. “I’m constantly moved by contrasts: past and future, chaos and elegance, silence and sound. A forgotten song on vinyl, the scent of incense curling through an old studio, the texture of tulle brushing against bare skin. These moments, fleeting as they are, have a way of imprinting themselves and becoming the spark for something new.” A self-confessed night owl, she admits that most ideas come to her after midnight. “Honestly, I’m always creating and exploring in some form or another,” she says. “Listening to music and flipping through my library of art books inspires my social media concepts, products, and packaging.”

When asked if she has a creative signature, she replies, “Empowerment. Whether it’s bare, divine skin or sequins sculpted across the eyes, what unites it all is emotion. Makeup should make you feel your power.” Besides spawning countless cutting-edge looks and trends, McGrath uses her influence to help bring positive change to the beauty sphere. She was even awarded the title of Dame of the British Empire, in 2020, for her contributions to the industry and her diversity efforts. “I am proudest when people tell me they feel seen,” she says. “From casting models with different skin tones in my editorial work over the past three decades to launching 36 shades of foundation, I’ve never approached inclusivity as a box to tick. It’s the very fabric of beauty.”

Hair by Ryan Mitchell for Bumble and Bumble at Streeters; makeup by Dame Pat McGrath, creative director of La Beauté Louis Vuitton; manicures by Megumi Yamamoto for Chanel at Susan Price NYC. Models: Carol Monteiro, Maria Araujo at Elite Model Management NYC; Libby Bennett, Grace Valentine at Heroes Models; Ali Dansky, Sanique Dill, Ava Shipp at the Society Management; Valerie Scherzinger at Supreme New York. Casting by Ashley Brokaw Casting. Set design by Spencer Vrooman at SVS.

Produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive Producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Ben Gutierrez; production Manager: Hayley Stephon; production Coordinator: Nina Su; lighting Director: Cindy Leaf; photo Assistants: Joe Menard, Fabio Utrilla; postproduction: Vrinda Jelinek; fashion Assistants: Marie Poulmarch, Larissa Lampitelli; production Assistants: Ariana Kristedja, Talulah Maltbie, Chase Walker, Thor Karlsen; hair Assistants: Sinaïa Campora, Yeye Egunjobi, Giovanni Delgado, Frankie Denise Meyerson, Nyla Nasser; Manicure Assistants: Rieko Smith, Saori Ishikawa, Kuniko Inoue; tailor: Katy Patzel at Carol Ai Studio.