What Manolo Blahnik was to Carrie Bradshaw, Louis Vuitton is to Derick Yanehiroperhaps he’s even said the words, “Hello, lover” to one of those iconic monogrammed stamped bags as he’s passed the window displays at the South Coast Plaza boutique a time or two. A five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Yanehiro has filled the Long Beach home he shares with husband Mike Domino, an instructor pilot and realtor, with dozens of treasured Louis Vuitton pieces, from a structural stack of Alzer suitcases in their living room to a closet carefully curated with shoes, apparel and accessories spanning more than three decades. “I started off with a wallet a good friend gave me for my birthday some 30 years ago,” says Yanehiro. “I purchased my first keep all and briefcase in Paris in the late ’80s and have been addicted ever since. For years, my little collection was quite modest, but in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Marc Jacobs—as creative director—sparked excitement on the runway and gave men real ideas on how to integrate luxury goods into our everyday lives, especially when we travel. LV became fashionable. And luxury became accessible.”
Husband Mike Domino and Yanehiro pose with a selection of travel pieces from their swoon-worthy collection.
That access has resulted in a collection heavily dominated by travel pieces, as Yanehiro frequently traverses the globe producing celebrity filled segments for all ABC News platforms, including Good Morning America and Nightline. “I love suitcases, trunks and travel bags,” he reveals. “Even packing for a trip is an exciting part of the journey for me.” Naturally, his most cherished piece allows him to tote the couple’s covetable shoe collection in style. “Our black EPI leather shoe trunk is quite rare and was a custom piece from the 1980s. It carries 12 pairs in individual compartments, and combines two loves—LV and shoes!” he quips. But don’t worry, he’s not checking his prized possessions at the airport. “We only use hard-sided pieces on road trips. There is something special that happens when you arrive at a hotel with LV luggage. From the bellhops to the front desk to the concierge, there is always extra care.”
Derick Yanehiro holds his beloved custom-painted suitcase, which pays homage to his native Hawaii.
Frequented destinations are even reflected in the couple’s custom pieces, including a hard-sided suitcase handpainted by the in-house artisan at LV’s Rodeo Drive store, which depicts a surf scene reminiscent of Yanehiro’s native Hawaii. There was also the time he made a pit stop in Florence during a trip to the Venice Film Festival to hunt down an LV Damier Graphite motorcycle helmet. “I wanted an LV helmet for my Vespa ever since I saw it come down the runway in 2008, but stores in the United States were not allowed to sell them due to DOT regulations,” says Yanehiro, who now proudly displays the piece in a glass case in his living room. “It’s the holy grail of helmets!” And thanks to his dedication to the brand, the Rodeo Drive store invited him and Domino to attend Men’s Fashion Week in Paris in 2017 for the spring/summer Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration show. “It was as thrilling as you can imagine,” he recalls of the weekend, which included a private dinner party at a secret LVMH luxury apartment off the Champs-Élysées. “We were seated in the front row, and in only 12 minutes [former Men’s Artistic Director] Kim Jones managed to propel LV into hype-beast history.” As for what’s left on his wish list, there are two pieces Yanehiro would “sell a kidney for”—a 1996 Helmut Lang-designed hard-sided case for record albums and a vintage or new whiskey service trunk. “Now that’s luxurious!” he says. At the end of the day, it’s the brand’s unparalleled craftsmanship that keeps him coming back for more. “Every stitch is purposeful; every nail is precisely placed; every zipper glides with ease,” he says beaming. “Those initials stand for quality, exploration, adventure and classic style—who wouldn’t want to have a delicious little slice of that?”
