Louis Vuitton Opens Modular Murakami Pop-Up in Downtown NYC
With a thematic café, an archival exhibition space, a cozy downstairs cinema and more.
Where there’s a Louis Vuitton collaboration, there’s an onslaught of expertly crafted global pop-ups to follow. So, as expected, the megabrand’s newly released Takashi Murakami collection is currently pining for global domination. New York is one of seven cities worldwide (alongside London, Milan, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo) to host a pop-up activation for the homecoming collab, and the French label’s Soho boutique has been redecorated with the artist’s distinct flowers and rainbow Monogram decals to ring in the duo’s historic reunion.
As the only fully dedicated space for the re-edition collection in the United States, the downtown pop-up is fitted with several eye-boggling modules, including a slime green exhibition space with archival selections from the pair’s former collaborations and a downstairs cinema room playing digitally enhanced Superflat movies by Murakami from two decades ago. Notably, the gallery section houses myriad hero pieces from the first LV x Murakami lines, including the Eye Love Monogram and Monogram Multicolore in black and white (2003/2005), the Monogram Blossom (2003) and the Monogram Cerise (2005).
The retail space, meanwhile, houses Chapter One of the new collection, which features a new Monogram Multicolore, the Superflat Panda and Superflat Garden, among several other silhouettes. Those who make a purchase from the collection at the pop-up will receive a token that they can take around the corner to a futuristic vending machine containing LV x Murakami stickers, trading cards and portable games.
Elsewhere, the pop-up includes a care station, which offers a menu of services, including replacement pieces, canvas cleaning and restoration of hand-painted iconography. In the final module, the House has constructed a Murakami-inspired café, which will serve drinks like cinnamon cappuccinos, roiboos lattes and vegan hot chocolates in custom LV x Murakami cups to clients who make a purchase through the weekend of January 10-12.
Take a look inside the Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami Soho pop-up in the gallery above, and visit the shop yourself at the address below.
Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami NYC Pop-Up
104 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012
