This month, Louis Vuitton took their Chengdu City Guide off the page and into a pop-up that’s been doing the numbers on Chinese social media. The pop-up, named Chengdu Chill, transformed the iconic LV guidebook into a live cultural map of the city complete with books, scent and food.
The space wove together a bookstore framed by an old Sichuan-opera stage, a fragrance zone launching the new Journey to China collection, and a dining corner at The Hall featuring Chengdu-inspired dishes – each element echoing the local pace of life: what local Sichuanese call an yi (安逸), and an English speaker would probably call ‘easy going.’
- #LV成都耍起# sees more than 1.14 million views.
- Collaborative posts between LV and thier brand ambassador gets over a million likes and 800k shares.
That sense of play translated instantly into social currency. On Rednote, the hashtag #LV成都耍起# (Lit. Louis Vuitton Chengdu, let’s play, or LV Having fun in Chengdu) has drawn more than 1.14 million views. Check-in posts that blend travel diary and fashion flex have been popular on both Rednote and Weibo with visitors photographing the opera stage backdrop, the activities and themselves with the city guide that inspired the event.
On Weibo, posts between LV and their local brand ambassador, actor Simon Gong (龚俊), have received over a million likes and 800,000 shares. Users commented on how the event seemed to capture Chengdu’s chilled-out way of life.
Not one to miss out on a marketing feedback loop LV has made the city guide free until 13th November, extending the pop-up experience beyond the venue. It’s a smart move. They’ve effectively turned local discovery itself into brand touchpoint.
Louis Vuitton launched its City Guide collection in 1998, long before branded content was a buzzword. At the time, most luxury houses expressed heritage through fashion shows or flagship architecture. LV chose travel writing. Now the Louis V suitcases are one of the brand’s most iconic products. It looks like their pop-ups are just as popular.
