Louis Vuitton ship-shaped Flagship in Shanghai

Louis Vuitton draws from transoceanic journeys

Louis Vuitton has unveiled The Louis, a insane boat-shaped structure in Shanghai's business district that looks like a modernist ship moored on Wujiang Road.

The building houses a flagship store, Le Café Louis Vuitton, and the Visionary Journeys exhibition, wrapped in a surreal facade of metallic Monogram hulls and stacked trunks. Most of our craziest and most ambitious work is in China - love these things you can do and dream there, their ambition and expression to build crazy things like this is exactly why China's become the playground for luxury's wildest ideas.

Shohei Shigematsu's exhibition transforms iconic trunks into architectural elements. The opening Trunkscape curves Monogram canvas trunks into archways, whilst four trunk towers serve as both structural and sculptural features - familiar materials in unfamiliar, impossibly slender forms.

The exterior mimics ship's prow and steamer trunk, covered in shimmering metallic Monogram patterns that reflect light like sea surface. Inside, each room represents a different chapter in the house's evolution, combining retail, dining, and storytelling.

Only in China would a luxury brand get away with building an actual ship in the middle of a business district.

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Inspiration by Mark