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The legend of Louis Vuitton is often told in broad strokes. What is now an international luxury brand began as a trunk atelier, founded by its namesake Parisian in 1854. His son, Georges, later took the reins, followed by his son, Gaston-Louisâeach generation making its own innovations. âThe story has been told many times,â reflects architect Shohei Shigematsu, a New Yorkâbased partner of OMA. Epic tales, of course, bear repeating. So when the brand tapped him to conceive an exhibition, he immersed himself in the archives, challenging himself to dig into the details and revisit the narrative with fresh eyes.
His vision comes to life at the new LV The Place Bangkok, a first-of-its-kind flagship for the brand, with a café, restaurant, and galleries. Titled âVisionary Journeys,â the exhibition immediately turns past notions on its side, deploying the monogrammed cases as bricks assembled into an arched tunnel. âWe wanted to communicate the strength and lightness of the trunk,â says Shigematsu of the immersive entrance, which leads to a wunderkammer-like chamber filled with archival memorabilia and ephemera.
From there, visitors enter a brightly lit room where acrylic cases reminiscent of bubbles reveal Louis Vuitton icons like the Alma, Speedy, and Petite Malle handbags. The following gallery, meanwhile, spotlights the brandâs rich history of collaboration. Here, a wall of mirrored duffels, each dipped in chrome, becomes a blank reflective slate for Yayoi Kusamaâs dots, Stephen Sprouseâs graffiti, and the other patterns blazing from the opposite screens. (Real examples appear in a carousel display.) âBrand exhibitions often look into the past,â observes Shigematsu, adding of his open-ended reel: âThe idea of collaboration is strongest when you can project into the future.â
Best of all, no one goes home empty-handed. The final gallery is dedicated to souvenirs, with a range of mementos displayed in a multicolor grid of cases inspired by local food stalls. The vending machine pops a keepsake out at random. Says Shigematsu, âPeople can come back for more.â louisvuitton.com
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