Trunks Galore: Inside the NYC Louis Vuitton Flagship Store

Louis Vuitton Flagship Store on 57th Street, Manhattan

The Louis Vuitton Store in New York City is getting a makeover and no it’s not the power of AI. The exterior flagship store on 57th Street in Manhattan has transformed into the brands’s iconic luggage.

After 20 years on the iconic 5th Avenue retail space, The French luxury brand announced the renovation of its current building and opened a temporary flagship store down the street.

Upon entering the store, spiraling stacks of the brand’s iconic trunks are assembled around the atrium. According to WWD, Shohei Shigematsu, New York-based partner of the OMA architectural firm, created the sculptures using 90 Cuurrier Lozine Louis Vuitton trunks rising 16 meters high.

Main Atrium in the Louis Vuitton Flagship Store

“We wanted to create a sculpture that wherever you are, you are actually looking into it from a different vantage point. You see a suprprising scene of how the truncks can be stacked, not a typical, stable stack,” Shigematsu tells WWD. “Towers were perfect for the artrium in the store because it is so vertical, but it’s kind of a homage to the verticality of Midtown Manhattan.”

Last week, Louis Vuitton gathered celebrities and actors such as Bradley Cooper, Nina Dobrev, Jennifer Connelly and Ana de Armas for a grand opening of its retail space. The first floor is allocated to accessories; up the brightly lit escalators holds the women’s ready to wear and menswear.

Jennifer Connelly at the Louis Vuitton Grand Opening

While temporary store is dedicated to giving customers a chance to shop, the space is also an immersive experience. Around the store, memorable pieces from old collections are displayed, like the Keepall bag from the 2017 collaboration with skatewear brand Supreme. On the top floor, visitors can dine at Le Café Louis Vuitton — complete with a cozy dining room, a sprawling bar space, an in-house chocolatier, and a casual café adjoined to a library.

Louis Vuitton x Supreme Keepall Bag displayed in the Louis Vuitton store

Associates of the store report that customer’s reactions to the store have remained ecstatic and deemed the temporary space a “viral sensation”. While the renovations for the flagship are planned to take three years, customers will have no problem keeping busy at the Louis Vuitton shop down the street.


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