Louis Vuitton Cuts the Ribbon on the Pop-Up Store of the Future

The French powerhouse’s temporary New York flagship boasts soaring 50-foot ceilings and a gourmet restaurant.

Earlier this month, Louis Vuitton cut the ribbon on a spectacular new five-story flagship on 57th Street in Manhattan, replete with 50-foot ceilings, a museum’s worth of modern art, a premium chocolate bar and haute cuisine restaurant, and a state-of-the-art library. But the most impressive thing of all about the Parisian giant’s new NYC digs? It’s all temporary—merely a stopgap pop-up meant to last just a few years while the real LV flagship undergoes renovations around the corner on Fifth Avenue.

Given the epic scale of Pharrell Williams’ runway shows for Louis Vuitton Men’s in recent seasons, it might not seem all that surprising that the maison was willing to go to such opulent extremes in crafting its replacement storefront. Step inside the atrium, and you’re immediately greeted by towering columns of Louis Vuitton luggage designed by the architect Shohei Sigematsu—just the beginning of a wildly ambitious brick-and-mortar experience.

There are four floors of traditional retail, of course, featuring the full range of Louis Vuitton offerings: ready-to-wear and accessories, luggage and leather goods, jewelry and homewares, and an entire floor of private shopping salons. The store’s library, meanwhile, was curated by Rizzoli editor Ian Luna, and features more than 650 books across a variety of genres. But the biggest draw of all might be the shop’s two dining options: Le Cafe, which serves up cocktails and light bites, ranging from pear tarts to cheeseburgers; and the very first stateside Louis Vuitton chocolatier, hawking intricate French chocolates created by the renowned pastry chef Maxime Frederic.

Not to be outdone, LV’s original Fifth Avenue location has been dressed up as an absurdly massive stack of monogrammed trunks as it undergoes its multi-year transformation. If the resulting store is even half as jaw-dropping as the current scaffolding, it’s sure to be one hell of a shopping destination.

SOURCE: GQ By Calum Marsh