Louis Vuitton Ups Its Street Cred With Three Pop-up Bookstores in Shanghai
SHANGHAI — Louis Vuitton recently took over three fashionable roasters in downtown Shanghai and transformed them into pop-up bookstores.
As a purely local initiative, it was a small endeavor that drew a large crowd, with enthusiastic fans forming long lines in front of the pop-ups despite the scorching heat.
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For the weeklong affair, which launched last Sunday, Louis Vuitton transformed three established coffee spots — Metal Hands Café, Plusone Café and Manner Café — into monochrome spaces in red, yellow and peppermint, which is in sync with the book cover colors of Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai within the brand’s City Guide Series.
Shoppers queued for a chance to purchase a title from the maison’s City Guides, Fashion Eye or Travel Books collections. Upon buying any two titles, customers receive a Louis Vuitton City Guide souvenir tote bag.
The Shanghai pop-ups are one of Louis Vuitton’s recent localized initiatives to infuse cities with “color and culture.” In April, a bookstand and outdoor café launched at The Hall, Louis Vuitton’s Chengdu restaurant, to celebrate the City Guide and “the art of travel.” A second bookstand was launched in the seaside city of Xiamen this June.
According to Vuitton, the bookstand project will continue to be rolled out throughout the year.
An updated version of the Shanghai travel imprint will also hit the shelves later this year, guest edited by a local creative.
Despite luxury brands’ shift to focus on high-net-worth clientele, catering to the young and savvy is just as crucial for gaining street cred and harnessing brand awareness. Chinese netizens largely welcomed the pop-up initiatives, lauding the brand for being “down to earth,” one fan exclaimed on Xiaohongshu, the Chinese social commerce platform.
Apart from localization efforts, Louis Vuitton is doubling down in the China market with plans to open a four-story stand-alone store in Beijing’s Sanlitun shopping complex early next year. The brand has also been revamping existing flagships to include expansive VIP areas where high spenders can browse exclusive offerings while sipping Champagne.
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