Luxury used to be about exclusivity. Then it became about experience. Now, apparently, it’s about not leaving at all, and for a brand built on travel, Louis Vuitton seems perfectly fine with the idea of keeping people in one place. Quick visits and impulse buys aren’t really part of the plan, but slowing you down is.
China is clearly the way to go, at least for LVMH. They’ve got the streets they care about, some stores are already running, some are plans on paper, China is shopping again, they want in, more stores, here we go, simple. Gladly, when Louis Vuitton needs a new four-story reminder that architecture shouldn’t be ignored, Jun Aoki shows up. And he’s been showing up for years, Tokyo, Shanghai, Osaka, it was all him, Beijing is the same move, just stronger.
The new Maison in Sanlitun leans on two ideas for the design. The starting point is the Taihu stone, prized for its worn, hollowed-out form. Aoki translates that logic into glass, adding a second skin that feels porous, fluid, iridescent, irregular. It filters light rather than reflecting it back, giving the façade depth and movement instead of a fixed image. It’s made to react to that light and weather, it never really looks the same twice, which is pretty much the point. Now, the second inspiration is taken from Nicolas Ghesquière, specifically from the Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 finale. A dress in a slightly cyber-bohemian collection, enough to sneak into the head of one of the brand’s most respected insiders. Ghesquière really challenged Jun Aoki’s volumes, materials, colors, movement, and symbolism, in the best way possible.
The Maison spreads over four floors, showing off everything Louis Vuitton makes, from leather goods, to perfumes, to whatever the new line happens to be. The spaces are stacked and open, with light spilling in and views from floor to floor that make you notice the building itself, as much as the bags. Beijing’s first LV café sits on top, complete with private lounges, a dining room, a rooftop bar, and 250 square metres of outdoor space, all the bits and pieces that make retail feel like a lifestyle.
Luxury retail isn’t just selling leather anymore. In Beijing, Louis Vuitton has made it all about feeling, seeing, tasting, and occasionally sitting in a private lounge of a building that’ll make you think of everything except the urge to hurry out. Emotion, sensory immersion, and personal engagement sell before a handbag, but that just comes with the full lifestyle destination.
