Pop-Ups and Pop-Ins Bring the Universe of Pharrell Williams’ Debut Show to LV Boutiques Across the World
Louis Vuitton has launched a series of in-store activations and pop-ups in celebration of the arrival of its Spring 2024 Men’s collection, which marked the highly anticipated debut from new creative director Pharrell Williams. Launching from January 4th, with over 50 dedicated destinations worldwide, the installations serve as evolutions of Williams’ first show for the Maison – presented on Pont Neuf in June 2023 – inviting clients to experience a multi-sensorial universe inspired by the collection.
Over a period of one to three months, depending on the location, the installations will appear as pop-ins in select permanent stores, as pop-ups in department stores or standalones, and as more expansive “residencies”. The collection release coincides with the 4th January launch of the season campaign featuring LeBron James, as well as a 24h ‘world tour’ of the Speedy bag brought to life in physical and digital manifestations from Shanghai to Paris.
In the United States, New York and Los Angeles will have ephemeral pop-up locations, while over fifty existing boutiques will be decked out to create an immersive retail experience that extends the visual world of the runway show. Elsewhere, department store takeovers include a special exhibition at Selfridges in London, while the house’s Champs-Élysées flagship will host a special residency, marking an even deeper transformation of the existing layout, including a music space and a “dandy club” – named for the collection’s devotion to dandy dressing and highlighting ready-to-wear, gifting, frafrances, and the new portable LV Nanogram Speaker. The façade of the permanent Louis Vuitton space devoted to pop-ups in Seoul’s Dosan area will be gilded entirely in golden Damier chequers, while the location will feature a special culinary experience and an exclusive postcard personalization service.
As part of the special features surrounding the in-store launch of the Spring-Summer 2024 men’s collection, visitors to select spaces will receive limited-edition carrier bags with every purchase adorned with the collection’s pixelated Damoflage motif and its emblematic LVERS logo. The customised packaging is echoed in the bespoke uniforms worn by Client Advisors across the pop-ins, pop-ups and residencies: a Pont Neuf suit in white Damoflage with a matching shirt, a gilded LVers pin, and white LV Trainers; a look evoking those worn by members of the live orchestra, who performed at the show.
In homage to the re-interpreted Speedy bag at the heart of the show, the in-store launch of the collection will coincide with a 24 hour Speedy “world tour” drawing on physical as well as CGI elements. In December 2023, giant real-life inflatable Speedy bags appeared in Chengdu and Shanghai, while another made its way down the Huangpu River. A continuation of that journey will begin in January 2024 as the giant bag commences a 24-hour journey in CGI form via the brand’s social channels and in-app filters, from Shanghai to Santa Monica to New York, before reaching its final destination of Paris, the home of Louis Vuitton.
