© V. Knapp

n October 12, Louis Vuitton reopened the doors to its "house" at 101 avenue des Champs-Elysées after more than two years of renovation.

With a retail space of 1,800 square meters, the new Louis Vuitton store is the world's largest luxury boutique. In it, the women's and men's collections of leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes, jewelry and writing tools are on offer, enhanced by the all-new collection of Louis Vuitton eyewear.

A mini line of leather items, shoes, watches and jewelry products has also been created exclusively for the reopening of 101 Champs-Elysées.

In the bookshop, alongside titles published by Louis Vuitton like the City Guide or Carnet de voyage, visitors can now discover a selection of titles devoted to art, travel and lifestyle as well as "Louis Vuitton: The birth of modern luxury" by Paul-Gérard Pasols, the first book to recount the extraordinary saga of Louis Vuitton.

This store belongs without question to Louis Vuitton’s cultural heritage, since this is where the House inaugurated the largest travel shop of the era. The Champs-Elysées, by reputation the world’s most fashionable avenue, inspired the "promenade" concept within the new Louis Vuitton "house."

The design of the Louis Vuitton building on the Champs-Elysées, and the very idea of the promenade are the work of American architect Eric Carlson, who cut through the interior volumes of the existing structure to create an exceptional multi-level circulation system which favors fluidity of movement. 

Inside the store, the visitor will discover with astonishment the absence of classic storeys. A succession of levels laid out in a spiral design leads to the heart of the store. A 20-meter-high atrium from which some 1,900 stems of polished steel descend, diffracting light, recalls the sparkling domes of the famous Lalique fountains that decorate the avenue outside.

The atrium © V. Knapp

In fact, throughout the store, surprizing creations and refined details echo the architectural elements of the Champs-Elysées, suggesting an extension of the avenue inside. The internal tiling, for example, repeats the pattern found on the avenue in the elegant nuances of brown and beige limestone.

As it was impossible to change the stores art-deco façade, since it is part of France’s Historical monument heritage, Louis Vuitton used a Monogram mesh. This metal layover wraps the building in the same way that Louis Vuitton covers its bags and trunks in canvas, like a metallic second skin. This overlay featuring the emblematic Monogram flower is encrusted with wood, leather, crystal or porcelain and is also used to separate the various shopping spaces.

The interior design is the work of architect Peter Marino. He uses only noble materials, such as wood, leather and stainless steel. His finishes are perfect and illustrate the House’s long tradition of craftsmanship and excellence. The Champs-Elysées store also displays some of the Louis Vuitton presentation concepts, such as the luggage lounge or bag bar above which hang vintage trunks, where visitors can sit and choose the bag that best suits them.

Women's shoes lounge © J. Cohrssen

Contemporary art also has a large part to play, and is completely integrated to the store’s architecture. The work of three internationally-renowned artists is on show as a permanent exhibit.

A modular light-based structure projected onto a flat screen, "First Blush, Oct.  2005" by American artist James Turrell creates a visual encounter during which the visitor becomes aware of the fluctuation in their own perceptions.

Tim White-Sobieski, acknowledged as one of the most daring video artists of the contemporary scene, created "Alpha" especially for Louis Vuitton – a video installation of unprecedented breadth since it is made along the entire length of a moving stairway. Based on fiber-optic technology, the installation is displayed as a seamless piece that is 20 meters long and 2.5 meters high. The artist describes his work as a moving painting with the theme of life, seasons advancing, maturing and changing.

Danish artist Olafur Eliasson encourages visitors to reflect on their perception of the physical world. This moment of intense perception, where the spectator stops to reflect on what he or she is in the process of living, is described by the artist as a moment when one "sees oneself feeling."

His creation, entitled "Votre perte des sens" (Your loss of the senses) is a conceptual elevator allowing every visitor to create a void. In fact the artist has eliminated all sound-based and visual stimuli from the elevator which links the ground floor and the 7th floor, by covering it in a material that absorbs all sound, and by removing all lighting inside it – including the lights for the control buttons.

Finally, in January 2006, an art gallery will open on the top floor to welcome the photographer Vanessa Bancroft as guest of honor.

A visionary in the art of travel, Louis Vuitton has created an astonishing voyage of discovery at 101 Champs-Elysées.

(Published on November 14th, 2005)