I’m kicking off this first New Year post with a subject that hints at how exciting my hopes are for 2025…think big; don’t hold back; out with the old, in with the new; celebrate!!
So what better subject than the Louis Vuitton 16-story, 240-foot tall façade in the form of six stacked hard-sided trunks that now graces 5th Avenue and 57th Street? Even if you’re a jaded New Yorker, you have to be impressed at the WOW! factor of this new addition in the heart of NY retailing chic.
Deconstructing and rebuilding in this major city usually subjects New Yorkers to barricades, scaffolding, detours, eyesores, not to mention safety issues, as progress slowly moves along. But not LVMH! Ahead of a multi-year renovation of their 5th Avenue flagship, the trunk façade fully encloses the existing building, (which Louis Vuitton has occupied since 2004) overtaking the corner of 5th Avenue and 57th street with a base measuring 108 x 70 feet.
LVMH additionally took advantage of an opportunity to further their refined reputation as the leading luxury brand in the world. Playing off the original “Art of Travel” ethos that inspired Louis Vuitton when he founded the firm in 1854, the trunk stack pays homage to the Trianon Grey canvas — a seminal Louis Vuitton canvas that dates to the19th Century — which has been reimagined with the Monogram Flower motif for the first time.
This carefully created facade is a testament to Louis Vuitton’s commitment to fine craftsmanship, finished with the classic detailing synonymous with Louis Vuitton’s products…authentic to a staggering degree…including handles (the largest of which weighs 5,000 pounds), signature locks, and silver hardware rendered in chrome-plated, laser-cut steel. 3D scans of real Louis Vuitton hard-sided trunks were used to create the locks and latches, and the steel corners have been hand-welded. And in the spirit of “no detail can be overlooked,” the stack features 840 rivets, each etched with the moniker “Louis Vuitton.”
Since the mid-nineteenth century, audacity has shaped the story of Louis Vuitton. What could better represent this in present day than the bold statement now center stage at the corner of 5th and 57th?!
Feature Photo Credit: Brad Dickson
WOW is an understatement, are there words for this gorgeous building? Again, thank you for sharing the beauty! Worth a trip to the big city if nothing else!
What a fun idea …and beautiful result.
Can only imagine the reaction when building permits were applied for …
“You want to do – what….?!”
I…GASP….OMG!!! IT’S GENIUS!! franki
Those architects were flying in a different orbit from the rest of the world. So glad your telescope “found” that remarkable building and computed the scientific measurements as well as explained the beauty and creativity of the edifice. Bettie, you have your very own “Webb” telescope built into your eyes, mind, and heart.
O my …. to take “genius” and replicate it in this other dimension boggles the mind. The detail on that scale is fastidious and, no doubt, was hard won. Kudos LV et al…..