Perhaps you could call him the Rick Owens of his day -- the clothes aren't similar at all but the similarity in their cult status cannot be denied -- but no matter if you agree with that or not, Stephen Sprouse left a lasting mark on fashion that few are certain to forget.

Even if you knew nothing of his early Day Glo designs, velcro closures, and downtown club runway shows, if you're anything like me, I'm sure you've got an image of his 2001 graffiti sprayed bag for Vuitton -- commissioned by the not yet demi god of the fashion world Marc Jacobs -- etched into your brain.

"Stephen Sprouse's initial Day-Glo bright, sixties-inspired, graffiti-printed fashion collections for men and women wowed fashion editors, store buyers, and fashionistas alike, but he always had mixed business success. His initial collections (1983 - 1985) were huge critical hits, sold at only the best stores. His 1983 collections were sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel in New York City on a small scale."

Read more here. What's this all about? The folks at Mao PR are releasing a book aptly entitled The Stephen Sprouse Book.

It includes many never before seen works of art, photographs, sketches and interviews with many of Stephen's colleagues, friends, and family and pay tribute to his extraordinary career. Interviews with: Marc Jacobs, Debbie Harry, Anna Sui, Kate Moss, Iggy Pop, Baby Jane Holzer, and many others.

Photographs and art work by: Andy Warhol, Francesco Scavullo, Lisa Stein, Mike Reinhardt, Max Vadukul, and many more!

The book will be available in stores on January 13th 2009 with a special edition to be sold only at Louis Vuitton on January 8th. Pre-order yours now!!