If you went to Google’s homepage this morning and found yourself thinking that the search giant’s new Doodle looked familiar, it might be because you have some of the artist’s work hanging in your closet. (Or maybe because you’re just a contemporary art fan in general.) The logo above, commissioned by Google to celebrate the first official day of summer, was created by famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, he of the longstanding Louis Vuitton collaboration that all of us know and some of us love.

For the past few years, Louis Vuitton has been on such a great roll with resort collections, and for good reason. The brand’s identity is built around the idea of luxury travel, so it follows naturally that it would be particularly suited to a season that came about out of the need for pre-season travel goods for those who have the money and flexibility to escape the winter weather in less exotic locales.

Angelina Jolie in Louis Vuitton’s Core Values Campaign. Click to enlarge.

The latest installment of Louis Vuitton’s Core Values Campaign features actress and UN Goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie.

Angelina agreed to be captured by famous photographer Annie Leibowitz for the campaign in Cambodia, a country which she first visited in 2000 for her role as Lara Croft and later returned on humanitarian missions, raising awareness of the dangers of landmines.

Some accessories junkies look at certain handbag designs and see faces, but this exhibit by British artist Billie Achilleos takes that phenomenon to a whole new level. Louis Vuitton commissioned several animal sculptures from her made entirely out of Louis Vuitton handbags and accessories to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Louis Vuitton SLG Savoir Faire collection. What Achilleos was able to do with leather goods is amazing (not to mention amazingly adorable), and we’ve got more pictures of her creatures, plus a video of the construction process, after the jump.

The introduction of a new Louis Vuitton Speedy is always cause for celebration among handbag fiends, and we think that this particular bag will be of wide interest. The Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière is similar to the monogram Speedy that we all know and love, but it brings with it the thoroughly modern addition of an integrated shoulder strap. Optional straps have long been available for purchase to clip onto the traditional Speedy’s handle attachments, but this dedicated strap brings with it a design logic that is lacking in a simple add-on.

Tapping into a recent boom in tourism among affluent Chinese, Louis Vuitton has opened an epic new exhibit cataloging the art of travel at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The presentation, which opened this week, covers the brand’s iconic travel pieces and handbags as well as a historical view of travel from an artistic perspective.

Much has been made over the burgeoning luxury market in China, and this event, which runs through August 30th, is surely a bid to ingratiate Louis Vuitton to a country that has been driving a huge proportion of the industry’s growth.

Every year, consulting firm Millward Brown Optimor takes stock of the global luxury industry and decides who the key players are based on revenue, profits and overall brand value. And every year, Louis Vuitton takes the top spot with a valuation even more massive than the year before. Fashionista.com reports that according to Millward Brown Optimor, Vuitton’s worth was up 23% in 2010 over 2009, a year when it was also the most powerful and wealthy luxury brand on the face of the planet.

It’s been a full month since all of the fashion week festivities started, and they’ve finally come to an end. Showing at the very end of the cycle can either be a blessing or a curse; if what you’ve put together is merely mediocre (or worse, if it’s flat-out bad), critics and buyers are more likely to look harshly on it because of our fatigue at four weeks worth of clothes and accessories.

Vlad spotted someone carrying the Louis Vuitton Porte-Documents Voyage GM during NY Fashion Week.

But for a special heart shaped treat, I wanted to share the Louis Vuitton Heart Pouch with you all (also called the Coeur PM). This monogram Vernis item is sure to be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift, price is $455 via Louis Vuitton.