When fashion is no longer enough, Louis Vuitton goes Gourmet

Books, resorts, home decoration lines or sports gear, hotels, museums, major fashion houses are expanding into increasingly diverse categories far removed from their primary domain: clothing. Due to the "luxury shame", the shame of flaunting luxury items, and an uncertain professional future for young Chinese who are forced to cut back on luxury consumption, the sector faces a crisis and must reinvent itself promptly. Indeed, China, a key market for the industry, represented 16% of the 362 billion euros in global luxury spending in 2023, can no longer afford to refresh its wardrobe as frequently as before. The job offer rate for young Chinese graduates with master's and doctoral degrees is 33.2%, a drop of 17 points compared to the previous year, forcing them to delay or abandon their luxury purchase plans. Thus, the fashion sector has no choice but to innovate by offering diverse services, far beyond clothing collections. The latest trend is luxury real estate. Several fashion houses have transformed into real estate agents to stay afloat, offering their clients not just furniture decorated with their favorite logos but entire residences. Dolce Gabbana, for example, recently offered its wealthiest clients the opportunity to live in a complex in Marbella, Spain, comprising not only apartments but also luxury shops and restaurants, a pool with an adjacent club, and an endless list of exclusive services. However, it is Louis Vuitton that is making headlines today with not one, but two institutions that have little to do with the fashion world, each located in a different part of the world.

Louis and the Chocolate Factory

Speaking of China, it is no surprise given the aforementioned context that the French house decided to set up shop in Shanghai. Just in time to celebrate Qixi, a Chinese version of our European Valentine's Day, Louis Vuitton will open a luxury chocolaterie tomorrow for the first time. Located in the Taikoo Li Qiantan mall, the chocolaterie is entirely decorated in the brand's image. Far from the straight and strict lines of the Spanish Dolce Gabbana complex, the space takes the form of a flower, similar to the monogram that made the brand famous. All chocolates, stamped with Louis Vuitton motifs, are shipped directly from Paris and made from high-quality ingredients. Considered the brand's most affordable items, their prices range from 240 renminbi, equivalent to about thirty euros, to 3200 renminbi, about 400 euros. The Shanghai branch titled Le Chocolat Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton (in homage to the master chocolatier who produces these little wonders) thus becomes the brand's third, after the opening of LV Dream (a large immersive exhibition dedicated to the house) in Paris and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and will be open to the public from July 23.

Louis Conquers Italy

In a completely different context from a modern Chinese mall, the brand has also set up shop in Milan, the Italian fashion capital where it is not opening its first store. It is in a building dating back to 1835 that the brand will open a restaurant, the group's first in Italy. The Palazzetto Taverna Radice Fossati, built in the 19th century and located at number 2 Via Montenapoleone, the epicenter of Milanese fashion, will house the restaurant. A project that will not come to fruition immediately, given the total renovation currently underway. But if the work is taking time, it may be because it is planned to host other major fashion names from the LVMH group, such as Bvlgari or Tiffany. An announcement made by Vuitton's CEO Pietro Beccari during an interview with Il Sole 24Ore. Rumors are that Chicco Cerea, the current chef of the renowned Da Vittorio, will be the chef hired by the Parisian house to offer fine and delicate dishes in its image. However, nothing has been confirmed to date, so we will have to be patient and wait for more details on this highly anticipated opening.

These projects clearly show that the brand aims to become a lifestyle in itself, beyond a luxury clothing brand, and that the sector is determined to expand into the culinary industry. Indeed, the LVMH group is no stranger to diversification and catering. From the Captain restaurant inside the Le Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris, which will be privatized for the group's clients during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, the famous Chez l’ami Louis recently acquired, to the investment in the revival of the Orient Express, the group seems to have understood that the hotel and restaurant sector represents a significant new source of revenue. This is not the first time LVMH has invested in Italian cuisine, although a Louis Vuitton restaurant has never opened its doors in Italy until now. The luxury giant is the proud owner of Cova, a historic Milanese patisserie and main rival of Marchesi, which belongs to Prada. Let's see what the luxury giant offers outside the French border, and whether Louis Vuitton's cuisine can win the hearts of Italians who are so attached to their culture and gastronomy.