We Visited LV Dream in Paris, the Louis Vuitton Exhibition
Between exhibition space, gift shop, and café-patisserie, Louis Vuitton offers a new immersion into its history and the collaborations that have shaped it through the LV Dream event in Paris. A hybrid place that honors the artistic exchanges that have married the house’s craftsmanship with the vision of artists sharing the pioneering spirit of Louis Vuitton. A journey through time, at the crossroads of a museum and a café, filled with creativity, that we rushed to discover, but which left us a bit wanting…
How does LV Dream in Paris highlight collective creation?
At a time when brands are redefining the role of the artistic director and approaching creation with a more collective eye, the LV Dream event in Paris fits into this new vision, by celebrating more than 160 years of artistic collaborations.
Welcoming us through different spaces, the event underscores the brand’s inventiveness and its pioneering spirit through works of artists using its iconic pieces as backdrops. Whether it be creations on a travel trunk, a bag, a scarf, or the signature pastries created for the occasion, LV Dream in Paris highlights creation from different angles, in the choice of mediums, sources of inspiration, and aesthetics.
Having given voice to artists from various movements throughout its history and collaborations, the event presents us with works of modern painting, psychedelic photography, Art Deco aesthetics, as well as pieces generated with artificial intelligence. A way to blur the question of time, so present in Louis Vuitton’s ethos, with a line that is both timeless and innovative.
Cao Fei, Liu Wei, Alex Israel, URS Fischer, Jean Michel Othoniel, Yan Pei Ming, Alex Katz, Refik Anadol, Mister Cartoon… The works of artists and designers who came to rethink the house’s icons and play with its monogram are unveiled before our eyes at LV Dream in Paris. A hint of a retrospective, which gives way to creativity, both in the addition of color to flagship pieces and in their reinterpretation with new cuts. A re-edition of Rei Kawakubo’s collection and her “Bag with holes” is featured on our journey through a well-thought-out scenography, echoing the uniqueness of the pieces.
Several corners offer us spotlights on historical collaborations, such as the one around the Capucine bag, but also, the work of artists like Takashi Murakami, or Yayoi Kusama, recently honored by the house in a new collaboration alongside her, as well as the creation of a statue over 15 meters tall in her likeness installed in the capital.
The LV Dream event in Paris presents us with the evolution of the Louis Vuitton house through the different perspectives of its artistic directors and presents it not as a simple unit, but as a true creative universe built thanks to all these visions that have come together over the years.
LV Dream in Paris: the marriage of craftsmanship and creativity
Beyond the focus on the artistic and the creations made with different artists around the house’s pieces, LV Dream in Paris highlights the work and the craftsmanship assimilated by the house since its creation.
Each piece presented reflects all the thought that has gone into its conception, in order to offer pieces that are above all practical and suitable for their use. And, to which is married an elegant aesthetic and strong character of Louis Vuitton that have made the brand’s renown.
The making of the pieces confirms the precise vision of the house on the habits and customs of its clientele, and notably on the use of its products. On one hand, we rediscover the work around the trunk, which has been written as a love story with art. While on one hand, artists have come to decorate it with their creativity, on the other, these pieces have come to encase works to protect and transport them. As was the case in 2018, when a trunk was created for the Rijksmuseum to transport the work The Milkmaid.
The art of trunk-making shapes a product that serves its clientele, to make their daily life simpler, all in elegance. This is how Louis Vuitton luggage, some iconic pieces of which are presented at LV Dream in Paris, has evolved in rhythm with the evolution of the means of transport used, in order to be most suited to them.
Travel by car, plane, then the rise of rail transport… For each mode of transport, its type of luggage, including essentials and accessories to enhance the journey. Bags and picnic baskets were thus designed to fit into the spare wheel compartment and on luggage racks for a road trip. Toiletry bags and perfume bottles combine finesse and optimization of storage. While some pieces are designed to have one’s travel essentials on hand when larger luggage is checked. The slightest detail is studied to make the pieces practical while maintaining harmony in aesthetics, and a finesse in the cuts.
This universe of travel has enriched the creations of the Louis Vuitton house and has given birth to an entire reflection around the environment that surrounds us during our travels. This is how some Nomadic Objects imagined alongside artists are revealed to us, including stools, chairs, and folding beds. All combining technical innovations, meticulous craftsmanship, and strong character design.
Pieces nourished by the idea of escape and that have made the DNA of the house shine in the 7th art, as was the case in 2007 in Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited, for which a set of 11 bags and suitcases was made, with the house’s so recognizable cut and adorned with wildlife-inspired motifs.
A Louis Vuitton souvenir shop with an exceptional taste
As with any visit to a museum, a mandatory stop is made at the souvenir shop before leaving. And visiting the LV Dream event in Paris is no exception! However, here the gift store swaps double-digit prices for those with 3 or even 4, and envelops the space with the standing of the house’s other addresses. Keychains and posters sit alongside bags and sunglasses, among iconic pieces and those from the latest collections.
The art of table setting also makes its way into this space designed somewhat like a labyrinth, alongside other accessories reflecting the travel universe, so dear to the brand, as seen in its travel guides spreading their colors and good addresses.
For lovers of the Louis Vuitton house wishing to expand their collection, a pouch for ping pong rackets might catch your eye for your Saturday afternoons, or perhaps, a collector’s surfboard to bring your passion into your interior.
Presenting numerous products and pieces of the house, the gift store delights us almost more than the exhibition itself, where we would have liked to discover more pieces.
A Louis Vuitton patisserie in the heart of Paris?
Between two spaces of decorative objects and ready-to-wear in the LV Dream gift store in Paris, a queue gathers the sweet palates of the capital wishing to delight in the chocolaterie created for the occasion.
Imagined in collaboration with the pastry chef of Cheval Blanc, Maxime Frédéric, visitors can discover unique chocolate creations, designed with the DNA of the house and wrapped in its signature cases. Different boxes are offered, including bars, or assortments of 5 chocolates for 12 €.
For the more gourmet, the pastry chef has thought of other sweets to be enjoyed at the Louis Vuitton café-patisserie. In a space filled with greenery, a set of pastries stamped with the house’s monogram awaits to be tasted. As for the price, count on a certain budget for these “hand-sewn” pastries, with éclairs, entremets, and slices of pie offered between 16 and 18 euros.
