A year ago, Louis Vuitton changed the face of Shanghai. Dropping a giant ship on one of the city’s busiest retail destinations was no simple marketing stunt. The brand had grander ambitions. They wanted a space that could function as a flagship store, café, exhibition space, and a meeting point for Shanghai’s culture of open exchange and Paris’s savoir-fare.
One year on, The Louis has welcomed visitors from nearly half of all the countries in the world
One year on, The Louis has welcomed visitors from nearly half of all the countries in the world and dominated Chinese social media feeds. Novelty – you might say – played a role here. To believe so would be to miss the aspects really cooked up this offline retail success and why combining them has given The Louis a lasting cultural resonance.
Visionary Journeys
The Louis functions as a home for LV’s Visionary Journeys exhibition, a global look at the brand’s long history. It’s hit retail capitals around the world to trace the maison’s trunk-making origins, craftsmanship and evolving relationship with travel, and here grounds the ship in real brand history.
None of what you see is presented as objects in some dusty archive. It’s about giving products context. Shoppers have had far more reason to spend on luxury items now that they understand the craft and heritage behind their purchase.
Shoppers have had far more reason to spend on luxury items now that they understand the craft and heritage behind their purchase
The Louis was always designed to be a cultural space first, and retail destination second. Holding Visionary Journeys here, the choice to make entry free and to include a café means the space has become a destination in its own right. Look into the Shanghai city guides and you’ll see it written up alongside tourist spots like the Bund and the Former French concession as must-visit destinations.
Shanghai as the ideal location
Shanghai has given The Louis a setting that makes LV’s travel story feel natural. It’s a city that’s got a long history of movement. It’s a port that’s welcomed people, ideas and goods from all over the world, and the place where Chinese and international influences meet. That has made for a very credible line between LV’s roots in the art of good travel and Shanghai’s image as China’s outward-looking, cosmopolitan hub.
The Louis works because it is a complete package of retail, storytelling, dining and destination
Shanghai is also a city where shopping is a popular form of leisure. On Nanjing West Road – a stone’s throw from The Louis – a shopper will may not necessarily think of an exhibition, a coffee stop, a meal and a browse through luxury boutiques as different activities. They drift between them over the course of an afternoon, often documenting the experience online. When it comes to that behaviour, The Louis has been a hub of culture, hospitality and luxury shopping.
The Louis a year on from launch
After a year docked on the edge of Shanghai’s biggest luxury consumer nexus, evidence of The Louis’ success can be seen in the range of people it’s drawn in. Visitors from 87 countries have passed through its doors, a testament to the fact that the location has outlasted its initial wave of launch-time attention and found an audience among the global, travel-minded consumers it values.
The Louis works because it is a complete package of retail, storytelling, dining and destination. Each element reflects something we all love about the very thing The Louis is built around: travel. Combining them creates an afternoon-long journey.
That is perhaps the larger lesson in its first year. Shanghai has no shortage of luxury stores. The Louis has made itself memorable in that busy market by offering something people can build a connection to, something they can remember.
