Louis Vuitton certainly knows how to play the retail game and woo its customers, having not only created hundreds of ‘regular’ stores but also a special league of maisons a.k.a. Louis Vuitton superstores that pull out all the stops for a total brand immersion. In the latter category ranks the luxury brand’s island maison that has opened at Marina Bay Sands, a massive upscale mall and hospitality complex in Singapore.
Housed in two glass and steel pavilions by Moshe Safdie, it’s located on a man-made island overlooking Marina Bay. Vuitton’s longtime collaborator Peter Marino designed the shop interior. The opening of the store also confirms the city’s status as Asia’s new luxury shopping destination alongside the perennial faves Tokyo and Hong Kong. Shoppers can enter the store either by boat and jetty, by using an outdoor bridge or through a tunnel that is linked to the mall and doubles as an art gallery.
The ground floor features Louis Vuitton’s complete men’s + women’s apparel, shoes, leather goods and accessories collections. The mezzanine floor showcases travel luggage and related accessories and a private lounge. And this wouldn’t be a maison if it didn’t have added brand value.
Well, that’s why it also accommodates Asia’s very first travel room, featuring luggage pieces and related accessories, a bookstore with a specially curated selection of books on design and art, and the aforementioned gallery space. The Louis Vuitton Island Maison opened with a much publicized bash attended by brand officials, celebs and a select group of guests.
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