Cover To mark the opening of ‘Savoir Rêver’ in Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton brought together five of the city’s ‘dreamers’, each of whom has a personal connection to one of the house’s key disciplines. (Photo: Chan Pak Wai / Tatler Hong Kong)
To mark the opening of ‘Savoir Rêver’ in Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton brought together five of the city’s ‘dreamers’, each of whom has a personal connection to one of the house’s key disciplines. (Photo: Chan Pak Wai / Tatler Hong Kong)
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Louis Vuitton crafts, dreams and pushes boundaries inside its latest ‘Dreamworld’ exhibition
The house of Louis Vuitton needs little introduction—synonymous with luxury, wanderlust, heritage and craftsmanship, it’s one of the world’s most recognisable names. Less well known is the origin story of its founder with the same name. After arriving in Paris on foot at 16 years old, he began apprenticing as a craftsman for Monsieur Maréchal, quickly developing a respected malletier in his own right, and becoming the official trunk-maker for Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie de Montijo, in 1853. Just one year later, he opened his own artisanal workshop near the Place Vendôme, officially birthing the now legendary maison.
To mark the opening of the new immersive exhibition, Savoir Rêver in Hong Kong, Louis Vuitton brought together five of the city’s “dreamers”, each of whom has a personal connection to one of the house’s key disciplines. These dreamers—designer Nelson Chow, architect Marisa Yiu, entrepreneur Wesley Ng, style influencer Elly Lam, finance director Joyce Tam and art expert Jonathan Crockett—and an intimate group from their inner circles came together on May 3 for a celebratory lunch at Michelin-starred restaurant Arcane, followed by an exclusive early viewing of the exhibition.
Above On May 3, Louis Vuitton transformed Hong Kong’s Pedder Building into a sensory voyage of creative exchange and artistry with its dreamlike exhibition (Video: Cheung Kin Chung Kasey / Tatler Hong Kong)
Designed by Chow, Savoir Rêver, which roughly translates to “knowing how to dream”, isn’t just an ode to the maison’s spirit of craftsmanship and collaboration, but a full-blown celebration of it. Now open at Hong Kong’s historic Pedder Building, the project brings visitors on a sensory voyage of the Louis Vuitton Dreamworld. Reflecting the brand’s association with luxury travel, Savoir Rêver embodies the belief that beyond the discovery of new destinations, travel also encompasses our inner journeys and explorative introspection.
The five dreamers explored the two-floor exhibition and its web of dreamlike rooms which fuse touch points of Louis Vuitton DNA, including craftsmanship, design, art, travel and jewellery. The creative journey begins in a space that mimics Vuitton’s French family home—a place which still serves as an atelier for the brand’s artisans today.
On the design side, Yiu previewed Objets Nomades, the house’s curation of furniture and objects made in collaboration with globally acclaimed designers. With each Objet Nomade representing the meeting of a designer’s artistic vision and the creative skills of Louis Vuitton’s artisans, this year’s collection includes several items shown for the first time in Hong Kong, such as the Campana Brothers’ Bomboca and Cocoon, and Raw Edges’ Cosmic Table, reworked in new hues. She also spotted the latest product in a long-standing collaboration with Marc Newson, the Cabinet of Curiosities, transforms the legendary travel trunk into an elegant and portable display case, fusing the sleek style of one of the world’s most acclaimed industrial designers with the signature coating of Vuitton’s monogrammed canvas. In another demonstration of dynamic artistic collaborations, her favourite Yayoi Kusama Hard-Sided Collection—one of the world’s most recognisable partnerships between a fashion house and a living artist—is included in the showcase.
Ng continued through exhibition, into a dedicated tribute to the signature Louis Vuitton Trunk, demonstrating the travel-centric spirit and distinct expertise of the house with original interpretations of the distinctive piece of luggage, including one that features the familiar hues of the iconic red, white and blue Hong Kong bag, and the new Vivienne Around the World in 80 Days trunk tower.
Elly Lam (Photo: Chan Pak Wai / Tatler Hong Kong)
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Within an immersive section entitled The Dream Machine, Crockett, Tam and Lam discovered the house’s dazzling high jewellery and watch collections, precious leather handbags and ready-to-wear ranges. The bold spirit of Louis Vuitton is captured in the pieces designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, the maison’s artistic director for watches and jewellery.
The surreal, mirrored space finally transitions into an otherworldly bar experience, featuring a cocoon-like structure and mirrored ceiling that creates an optical illusion within the Pedder Building.
Credits
Producer: Cheung Kin Chung Kasey
Videography: Leung Wing Tong, Chau Kai Cheung Edmond
Camera Crew: Chan Ka Him, Cheng Tsz Kin, Yu Tsz Ming
