Jun Aoki: a creative vision documentary
Fashion & Leather Goods
·
© ARR
The architect Jun Aoki has partnered with LVMH for more than two decades. His missions from the Houses always push boundaries to create something completely different from past projects. This short film depicts Aoki’s unlimited imagination and endless passion to create outstanding architecture in the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, in Japan.
Tokyo-based architect Jun Aoki (AS Co. Ltd.) began working with LVMH for Louis Vuitton Nagoya’s flagship store about 25 years ago. He recalls his first visit to Louis Vuitton HQ in Paris in 1998 when the entire city was enthused over the France World Cup. After completing Nagoya’s flagship, Louis Vuitton invited Aoki to join again on their new projects, such as the 5th Avenue New York and several more shops in Tokyo and Osaka. Louis Vuitton would never replicate a similar concept from one place to another, always aiming for the utmost excellence. Therefore, through his association with the House, Aoki always challenged himself to renew his creative vision and imagine something different from the previous designs.
Aoki says that the LVMH Houses he has ever worked with, such as Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana, have their established foundational aesthetics, and are, as well, constantly seeking something truly innovative. This aspiration is strongly reflected in the new Louis Vuitton flagship he designed in Osaka Midosuji Avenue in 2020; he was inspired by a traditional Japanese trading sailboat that traveled between Tokyo and Osaka during the Edo Era (1603 -1867), and he ended up embodying the new building looks like a massive sailboat floating in the center of Osaka City. To achieve this, Aoki utilized the latest glass curving technology to recreate organic sail shapes and VR system to ensure the design in the virtual world before the construction.
Aoki is always asked to pursue ambitious aesthetical and technological goals by LVMH Houses. He says, “We must always look for innovative opportunities to stretch our boundaries. It may be challenging, but that is what makes it fascinating.“