The return of major brand openings worldwide

Whereas the world is gradually recovering from Covid-19, major retail names are opening new stores around the world. These include Louis Vuitton, which is setting up shop in Rotterdam in Europe, Chanel in Calgary, Kenzo in New York, along with Uniqlo, which is revamping its flagship store in Tokyo. Here’s a quick overview of their new strategies and worlds.

Louis Vuitton in Europe

After testing a pop-up store in Rotterdam’s Bijenkorf department store in 2018, Louis Vuitton has renewed its presence on the premises but this time with a permanent shop-in-shop. Located on the ground floor, the sales area is demarcated by a sturdy facade and large windows covered in filigree screens depicting the luxury brand’s iconic monograms.

Designed by Louis Vuitton’s in-house design team, the retail space comprises modern modular furnishings for the women’s and men’s sections, captured in warm natural materials. To add character, these are interspersed with pieces by Dutch designers Dirk van der Kooij and Piet Hein Eek, in addition to vintage designs from the fifties carefully selected by Louis van Teeffelen and Friso Kramer. The women’s department also displays a striking photograph by the London-based Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø.

Chanel in Canada

Chanel is continuing its expansion in Canada with a new shop-in-shop in Holt Renfrew Ogilvy department store in Calgary. This new 269-m² address was designed by Peter Marino.

The entrance, located inside the department store, is decorated with a work of art by the American painter Margaret Evangeline, representing a camellia, the favourite flower of Chanel’s founder, Coco Chanel. The store presents the brand’s design codes in black and white, alternating with lacquered wood and teamed with a travertine floor. The complete collection for women is found here, presented in various sections, including a salon dedicated to Chanel trophy bags and its jewellery and watches. In short, the Chanel recipe with all its codes and symbols.

Kenzo in New-York

Since the arrival of artistic director Felipe Olivera Baptista last year at Kenzo, the brand’s strategy supported by LVMH has changed. A new store has therefore appeared in New York’s Soho, between Grand and Mercer Street. The space spans 279 m² on the ground floor of a 20th-century brick building.

The large windows offer broad glimpses of the store’s interior, created by Baptista himself. Simple and playful, the premises are unmistakably modern with shelving inspired by scaffolding. Additional furnishings take the form of vintage leather seats and Perspex display units, along with an abundance of pot plants. The side wall is entirely covered in mirrors to enlarge the space. In order to foster connections with youth and its clientele, the store also has a space dedicated to art installations.

Uniqlo in Tokyo

Uniqlo’s freshly renovated flagship store in Tokyo has just arrived in the Ginza district.

The Japanese brand has called on the famous Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron to create a suitable design, and the conversion of the premises is striking. The building meets the street and the concrete framework becomes exposed like an arcade. The structure is left open at the two entrance corners, anticipating the voluminous atrium inside. The surface area is an abnormally huge 4,959 m², entirely stripped back to reveal a concrete shell, filled with beams and columns, which has become the backdrop to the store. The atrium allows shoppers to see virtually the entire store from top to bottom.

On the first floor, the largest display of Uniqlo’s women’s apparel in the world is presented. The fitting room area has been given special treatment, resembling a gallery space with framed photographs adorning the walls. Uniqlo Tokyo’s special features include a flower shop where you can buy seasonal flowers, a permanent exhibition that concentrates on the greatest global sustainability activities, and a spacious children’s play area.