Louis Vuitton's Beijing women's store opening at Shin Kong Place on Friday was a veritable who's who of Chinese celebrities: the luxe label rolled out the brown carpet for the likes of brand ambassador and actress Fan Bingbing (范冰冰), pop star Li Zhiting (李治廷), models Du Juan (杜鹃) and Liu Wen (刘雯), and actress Carina Lau (刘嘉玲), just to name a few.
The ensembles of these LV-clad stars (and of a few mannequins on display) demonstrated just how far the company is moving away from its unmistakable logo-emblazoned looks. The celebrities arriving at the opening overwhelmingly carried non-logo bags, including Fan Bingbing, who showed off the brand's Alma bag that she has been heavily promoting over the past few months. China Daily also took note of the new in-store look:
A tour of the Shin Kong Place store shows another way that Louis Vuitton has adjusted to the quickly maturing tastes of Chinese luxury buyers. Its leather bags, in calfskin, python, ostrich and crocodile skins, come in a rainbow of colors — but many no longer have the brand's popular L-and-V logo emblazoned on their surface. Understated luxury is now the growing thing in China.
Look below for photos from the event to see LV's new China aesthetic (All images from Vogue China unless otherwise specified):
Fan Bingbing and Li Zhiting (范冰冰, 李治廷).
Du Juan (杜鹃).
Sun Li (孙俪).
Liu Wen (刘雯).
Carina Lau (刘嘉玲).
Hu Bing (胡兵).
The new Louis Vuitton store location at Shin Kong Place. (Zhang Wei/China Daily)
L to R: Louis Vuitton China President Philippe Fortunato, Sun Li, Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke, and actor Wu Xiubo (吴秀波). (Zhang Wei/China Daily)
An installation of mannequins recreates Louis Vuitton's Fall/Winter 2013 runway show. (Zhang Wei/China Daily)
A close-up of the runway mannequins. (Zhang Wei/China Daily)