1991-AD-corporate---by-Jean-Lariviere-in-Irrawaddy-River-in-Myanmar

The Art of Travel, the Art of Style

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There's travel, and then there's travel. Getting from A to B may be the simple definition for many, but then again, not all associate travel with faraway adventures and sophistication in the way that Louis Vuitton does. 
 
After exhibitions in Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi and Shenyang, the Louis Vuitton “Art of Travel” showcase came to the atrium of One Central, Macau, to pay tribute to its history of elegance and craftsmanship. The exhibition, which ran from the August 10 to September 8, was created exclusively for Chinese audiences, celebrating the concept of modern nomadic life and allowing visitors the opportunity to literally step into the world of a traveller, at one with the true spirit of Louis Vuitton. 
Telling a fictitious story of a traveller who stops by Macau, collecting local items along the way, the exhibition features such pieces as a chess set, the first ever LV produced trunk, and the latest in luggage design – the Louis Vuitton 4-wheeled Pegase.
 
Jeffery Hang, Managing Director of Louis Vuitton Macau, spoke of the philosophy behind the initiative: “The exhibit really gives you an essence of what Louis Vuitton was all about, where the brand’s roots are, and its heritage.” 
 
At the entrance to the exhibition, the first item on show was the familiar, caramel-coloured leather that the brand is famous for.  But in this instance it was not on a suitcase or a handbag, but instead strung between two poles in the form of an elegant hammock. Just the kind of thing this traveller might decide to tie between two trees on a remote island few have ever even heard of. 
 
To the left of the hammock, a gold-coloured bicycle made it apparent that any everyday object can be given a conspicuous upgrade under the craftsmanship of one of the most famous French fashion houses. 
 
The world being communicated in the Louis Vuitton “Art of Travel” exhibition can be seen by opening any famous fashion magazine of the past five years or so, with campaigns featuring the likes of Angelina Jolie on a boat in Northern Cambodia, or Francis Ford Coppola sitting in the middle of a lush green field talking to his equally famous daughter Sofia (all with LV luggage or handbags casually lying beside them of course) illustrating exactly the kind of voyage envisioned for those who relate to the concept. 
 
This world of ‘all that is adventurous and refined’ has become synonymous with the name Louis Vuitton. However, few may be aware of the humble beginnings of this luxury brand that, for six consecutive years (2006–2012) has been named the world’s most valuable luxury brand and had a valuation of US$25.9 billion in 2012. 
 
An achievement so great it is hard to imagine what Mr. Louis Vuitton himself would have to say on the matter, had he known the foundations he was laying when he arrived in Paris at the beginning of 1837, age 16, to focus on the art of luggage and bag making as a luggage-packing apprentice. 
 
In 19th-century Europe, box-making and packing was a highly respectable and urbane craft, and it took Vuitton only a few years to stake out a reputation amongst Paris’s fashionable class as one of the city’s premier practitioners of his new craftsmanship. The reestablishment of the French Empire under Napoleon III in 1852 proved incredibly fortunate for the young Vuitton. Napoleon III’s wife, the Empress of France, hired Vuitton as her personal box-maker and packer and charged him with “packing the most beautiful clothes in an exquisite way.” 
 
Of course today there is much more to the brand than boxes and luggage. In 1997, Marc Jacobs took the helm of Louis Vuitton – a period of time that saw the introduction of ready-to-wear at Vuitton, an overall revamp of the iconic leather goods company, and collaborations with artists such as Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami.
 
Art has always been a celebrated and important element in the development of the fashion brand. In 2009, the “A Passion For Creation” exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, featured works from Louis Vuitton’s private collection of contemporary art and design. Showing major 20th-century artists in a variety of media, from paintings and photography to digital animation, it was truly an art tour de force with names such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons and Richard Prince. 
 
At Macau’s “Art of Travel” exhibition audiences had the chance to watch 'Traveling on Earth under the Sky', a travel concept video by photographer Jean Larivière who, for more than 30 years, has travelled the globe for Louis Vuitton. Greenland, Yemen, Myanmar, Reunion Island, Patagonia, Thailand, and Nepal are all inspiring destinations from which he has brought back spectacular photos that have enriched the legendary “Spirit of Travel” advertising campaigns. The screening of his video brought the breathtaking destinations to the screen, making the experience of travel more immediate for all to see. 
 
Louis Vuitton has taken its expertise out of its ateliers and applied it to more than just the art of packing and craftsmanship. If travel is more than getting from A to B, the spirit of Vuitton will not only broaden the route, it will broaden our way of seeing that route.
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