Japan has traditionally been one of Louis Vuitton‘s most important markets, and as such, the luxury behemoth goes the extra yard to keep the discerning fanbase here happy with exceptional offerings and retail spaces. In the latter category falls Louis Vuitton‘s newest flagship store in Kobe, one of the main cities of the sprawling Keihanshin metropolitan area. The Paris-based fashion house has been present with a store in the city’s historic harbour district since 1983, but has now relocated to new and bigger location elsewhere in the area. Occupying three levels on the premises of the Kobe Miyuki Building, a seven storey structure built in 1969, the retail space features the design codes laid down by New York City-based architect Peter Marino when he designed the Louis Vuitton flagship store on place Vendôme. The lower end of the grid façade has been modified and now features five double-height windows, each one framed with a mirror-finished lattice pattern that mimics the brand’s monogram flower.
Light and sophisticated, the settings are largely captured by soft materials, as is evident when entering the store which is crafted from limestone panels and flooring of brightly coloured stones and wood. Needless to say, the retail space comes with a series of special design features, such as floating shelved, wall furnishings decorated with the brand’s motif, and a striking ceiling installation by Wanda Barcelona. But that’s not all. To emphasise the brand’s longtime presence in the city and historical bond with the Land of the Rising Sun, the interior design is dotted with reference to Japanese art and design, such as Isamu Noguchi‘s Freeform sofas and ottomans in the women’s shoes area, chairs by Tendo Mokko in the men’s ready-to-wear area and a mural by local painter Miei Sato. The new Louis Vuitton flagship store carries women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, bags, small leather goods, jewellery and watches, books, and in the basement section, items from the Objets Nomades collection.
Louis Vuitton
44 Akashimachi (Chuo-ku)
Kobe 650-0037
Telephone: +81 120 001854
Daily 11am-8pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
