Remodeled with a travel trunk exterior
"Gulliver's Travel Trunk"... Even capturing the bag's texture
The construction site of the Louis Vuitton flagship store remodeling in Manhattan, New York, is drawing attention worldwide.
The Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, USA, undergoing remodeling with its exterior wrapped to resemble stacked travel trunks. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.
On the 15th (local time), foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that Louis Vuitton has begun remodeling its 15-story flagship store located on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York. A temporary New York flagship store opened across 57th Street, but what truly caught the eyes of New Yorkers and tourists was the remodeling site itself.
Instead of the usual steel scaffolding used for working at heights during construction, the temporary structure was installed by stacking six Louis Vuitton travel trunks. The angular travel trunks symbolically represent the tradition of the Louis Vuitton brand. Lights were installed at each corner of the scaffolding, adding to its splendor.
The area near 5th Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan, where the Louis Vuitton store is located, is famous for being densely packed with flagship stores of global luxury brands such as Chanel, Tiffany, and Bulgari. It is said that it took six months to complete this massive Louis Vuitton trunk scaffolding from design to installation.
The Louis Vuitton store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, USA, undergoing remodeling with an exterior wrapped to resemble a stack of travel trunks. Not only the exterior but also the texture of the bags has been faithfully preserved. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News.
Foreign media reported that the six trunks were equipped with 840 steel rivets cut by laser and 2,267 kg of black handles measuring 12 meters in length. All of these were 3D reproductions of actual Louis Vuitton trunks. The entire structure measures 32 meters wide, 21 meters deep, and 70 meters high. The media wittily described it as "the most 'fashionable' structure in the world," comparing it to Gulliver setting off on a journey with clothes that could hold about 48 million liters.
Pietro Beccari, CEO of Louis Vuitton, said, "The feedback on this latest structure has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive," adding, "We are very proud of it." However, the appearance of the new Louis Vuitton store under construction, hidden behind the trunk structure, has not yet been revealed. Louis Vuitton plans to reopen the official flagship store as soon as the construction is completed.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
