The Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji is now open to the public. As a result of a close collaboration between architects Jun Aoki and Peter Marino, the four-floor luxury store is a reflection of the city’s international travel hub status. The very first Louis Vuitton café, entitled Le Café V, created in cooperation with Paola Lenti and celebrated chef Yosuke Suga, sits atop Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji, as well as Sugalabo V, the chef’s exclusive restaurant.
Famous for his work with the brand, in Japan and around the world, Jun Aoki, inspired by Osaka’s history as a sea-faring city, “imagined a light and airy white structure inspired by the traditional Higaki-Kaisen cargo ship and its billowing sails”. With metal frameworks motifs used on the ground level, the project seems to float on water. Utilizing natural light, the retail store “breathes the city’s energy, while offering clients a sense of calm and respite”.
Located in Osaka’s famed Midosuji area, the project, a poetic homage to the minimalism of Japanese craftsmanship, holds a bespoke sculpture that "ribbons across the store’s windows" by artist Kenta Cobayashi, blurring lines between digital fantasy and reality. The interior space, designed by Peter Marino, followed the same conceptual approaches, connecting the store to the maritime world and to the Japanese traditional culture. In fact, “wooden floors give the impression of decks, with wood-clad pillars and metal ceilings reminiscent of the spirit of a grand yacht embarking on an exciting adventure”.
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades is on permanent display across the project, bring their colorful creativity forward and contrasting with the architecture. Fourteen of the world’s most renowned designers, including Yoshioka Tokujin, Atelier Oi, and Nendo amongst others, have imagined fifty-six stunning Objets, which have then been made by Louis Vuitton. Moreover, nearly 20 contemporary artworks selected or commissioned by Peter Marino present abstract bursts of color or depict natural landscapes throughout the four floors.
