Louis Vuitton's signature luggage is made of leather, the kind of skin you expect to see in one of their stores. However, at the recently opened emporium on the Champs Elysees in Paris, you can now see a different kind of skin - naked human skin.
The Espace Louis Vuitton, a separate area for contemporary art and culture, was inaugurated this month with a photograph exhibition called Alphabet Concept, by Vannessa Beecroft, a New York photographer. The 13 pictures portray nude women wearing clown wigs and with their bodies entwined, shaping the letter of Louis Vuitton's name.
At the grand opening in October 2005 of the new store on the Champs Elysees a live performance of Beecroft's work was on show (the video and more photos are now displayed in the gallery). On the opening night, women wearing just a G-string and Louis Vuitton shoes, decorated the entrance alongside the luggage and handbags and crowds gathered to witness the star-studded event, where guests included Karl Lagerfeld and Winona Ryder.
Even the lifts have been designed especially for the store as "sensory deprivation lifts", by Olafur Eliasson, creator of The Weather Project at the Tate Modern. As the name suggests, there is no light or sound in the lifts and they leave clients wondering whether they are going up or down.
Cartier appears to have started a trend for French firms to want an art and culture gallery when he opened his exhibition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, where designer Jean-Paul Gautier displayed a collection of dresses made using real baguettes.
French artists and designers have always tended towards nudity and provocation, and porno-chic is a French speciality, say the fashion experts.
Posted by Constance Wherrity on January 24, 2006 2:23 PM
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