Shopping! By Prahlad Kumar
Just over two years ago, a giant hoarding wrapped chocolate brown Louis Vuitton store in New Bond Street before an extraordinary program of reforms, and a palpable sense of panic and amazement spread the shopping street of London's most prestigious. As if to stick two fingers defiantly to threats of recession, the new store to engulf neighboring Donna Karan and stairs of the office building to create a brand new 16,000 square foot "Maison" (Louis Vuitton specific term for the handful of flagship stores which are so elaborately finished and furnished most of us would like to move in). My team has been working on the project with Sue Whiteley, MD lush and vibrant brand, so they feign a lack of prior knowledge would be a lie. Yet, no amount of press releases or drawings could have prepared me or other merchants on the street (which were submitted to ogle the day he fell hoarding) for what was inside.
The windows the notice had been given to architectural design of the world's most prolific luxury store, Peter Marino. Unable to convince local authorities to allow him to make a radical change on the outside of the store, Marino playfully coating the interior of the store windows and floor to ceiling with gold chain mail, creating a gilded cage spectacular.
Shopability even before stores have thought that there are a lot of things to see and do here. I started on the ground floor, taking in the 32ft-high wall of logs and the first bar to move the bag, then went up dramatically (if precarious) LED giant tread glass staircase to a wonderful librairie, "showing once contemporary art books the likes of Chris Ofili and Anish Kapoor. In fact, art is a recurring theme throughout the store, with original pieces from Gilbert and George, Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami, all reinforce the sense of be in the house of a private collector in front of a simple shop. Also make sure to visit the area of the men under the ground floor (through the installation Michael Landy bold) and the sumptuous jewels and see the rooms.
Was I being served? The question on everyone's lips regular customers will not be on the level of service (which is a fact). It may or may not have had exclusive access by the private code to the 'House' - a series of special services and VIP suites located on the second floor.
Online at the time of writing (the business end of the World Cup), the site opens with a powerful and timely picture of Annie Leibovitz Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane in his homepage. Delve a little further and there is a complete guide louisvuittonnewbondstreet.com store.
Louis Vuitton's verdict is without a doubt, the dealer's ultimate luxury market. It cares for and protects the quality and craftsmanship beyond any relationship to the world of fashion. His imagery evocative advertising presents global icons like Mikhail Gorbachev, Catherine Deneuve and Francis Ford Coppola. And at a time when many high-end brands, failed Vuitton won a spectacular new home in London, and has provided a unique collaboration with the cultural institutions of the leading art capital. Here on a street where
Rarely are many things that surprised me, and Marine Vuitton have created a space so beautiful that people will be willing to travel great distances to be part of it. The aim is that, if they can afford to, people can buy something. I call it being and purchase. And I think there is much to learn here for all levels of retailers. As Bond Street groups, recognizing that now has a new 'most beautiful', I'm going for a summer getaway. If you have a store that you would like me to pay a surprise visit to when you return in the fall, so drop me a line at my new website, maryportas.com. Happy holidays.
