LOUIS VUITTON FLAGSHIP STORE DISGUISED AS STACK OF LUGGAGE TRUNKS. (VIDEO/PHOTO)

 

Louis Vuitton flagship store disguised as stack of luggage trunks

The Louis Vuitton flagship store on 5th Ave at 57 St in Manhattan which is being demolished & rebuilt is now covered in the most innovative “scaffolding” made to look like its iconic luggage. 

Fashion brand Louis Vuitton has concealed its under-renovation New York flagship store with a luggage facade and relocated to a temporary store that features OMA-designed sculptures. 

Louis Vuitton covered its flagship at East 57th Street and 5th Avenue in a facade modelled after the brand's distinctive trunks, while simultaneously opening a temporary location around the corner, with sculptures developed with OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu that rise through an atrium

Designed by Louis Vuitton's in-house team, the luggage facade wraps completely around the construction underway at the New York City flagship. It resembles six, grey trunks of various sizes stacked in descending size.

The six trunks stacked in descending size pay homage to the brand’s Trianon Grey canvas & are complete with real metal handles, locks, etched rivets and silver hardware rendered in chrome-plated steel (the largest handle weighs 5,000 pounds). 

"It is finished with the classic detailing synonymous with Louis Vuitton's savoir-faire including handles, signature locks, and silver hardware rendered in chrome-plated, laser-cut steel," said Louis Vuitton.

"3D scans of real Louis Vuitton hard-sided trunks were used to create the locks and latches, and the steel corners have been hand-welded. The stack features 840 rivets, each etched with the moniker 'Louis Vuitton'."

Strips of lighting run along each of the trunk's perimeters, while bands of black and brown represent leather lining.

According to the team, the design pays homage to the brand's Trianon Grey canvas, a light grey textile which dates back to the 19th century.

While construction takes place at the flagship, the brand has relocated its retail operations to a five-storey building around the corner at 6 East 57th Street, which contains four floors inhabited by a chocolate shop, men's and women's wear, and the debut of the brand's first cafe in the US.

The building's exterior architecture and interior floorplan remain unchanged according to the team, although it is now outfitted in a material palette of light woods, creams and shades of brown amongst an exposed concrete structure.

Four, towering 16-meter-tall sculptures developed by Shigematsu sit in the lobby atrium, similarly modelled after "iconic" trunks.

"The trunks are built at the ateliers to actual product specifications and stacked to erect shifting, counterbalancing, twisting and zigzagging forms showcasing strength and lightness," said the team.

Watch video below.