Cartier and Louis Vuitton rock their best for their new Osaka and Miami flagship stores, using patterns reminiscent of diamonds.
The race to stand out is never over. People and companies, administrations and associations always have to reinvent themselves in order to meet their goals. Reinvention is synonymous with survival but, beyond this, reinvention is the beginning of a new period in which, if we use our means well, we will find fortune. Fortune not only in the material, although we cannot deny it, it is the fortune that shines the most, like diamonds.
And what best symbolizes fortune? «The diamonds». This is what Cartier and Louis Vuitton must have thought almost in unison, so they got to work and created two spectacular flagship stores for their headquarters in Osaka and Miami, capable of dazzling day and night with patterns reminiscent of to diamonds, but, above all, with a lot of ingenuity and work.
Cartier creates a diamond store in Japan
Cartier put the façade of its store in Japan in the hands of the Klein Dytham Architecture studio, and they returned the favor by designing a laborious wooden showcase. It is arranged in such a way that it represents a pattern of superimposed three-dimensional blocks that, for more effect, are illuminated by LED lights, highlighting the façade in an unusual way, even for the Japanese.
The store is located in Shinsaibashi, the luxury center of the city, and where Louis Vuitton has its famous sailboat-shaped store. In this case, Cartier shares a crossroads with three other powerful firms: Apple, Nike and Burberry. Brands that opted for façades in neutral colors and smooth patterns, so… What better way to stand out than by opting for gold?
It was built from hinoki wood.
However, the facade has another secret. The wood with which it has been executed is hinoki, a cypress native to Japan, which has previously been used in temples, sanctuaries and even in castles, so the success was double. In total, 2,500 wooden elements were used, skillfully executed by Kyoto artisans using traditional techniques.
The wood is perched above the ground, avoiding direct contact with it. In the openings, both in the door and in the windows, golden-toned frames have been used, recycled aluminum frames that have been shaped and curved at the top. According to the architects, the use of these together with wood demonstrates the visible commitment to sustainability of the brand in the execution of the store.
Louis Vuitton also falls for diamonds
A twenty-hour flight from there, and without knowing the parallelism, Louis Vuitton commissioned the studio of the Dutchman Marcel Wanders to enhance the brand’s store, and he used the most brilliant pattern of all: the diamond design. But this time, instead of gold, the prevailing shade is white, exported directly from the company, a welcome wink.
Of course, the store is located in the center of quintessential Miami luxury, in a spot that avid readers will remember, as it’s located a block from the Dior flagship we were at in 2016.
This is Diamond Facade
The façade has been dubbed by the design team as the Diamond Facade, a reference that does them justice due to the faceted shape of the façade, with volumes that protrude outwards, irregular in shape, and formed by trellises with different patterns printed on the inside of the cloths. Details that create a dynamic wrap.
In Wanders‘ mind when creating these patterns his old creation was installed: a room divider for Vuitton called Diamond Screen, from the Objet Nomades collection, from 2017. The design patterns were based on the LV brand, especially on the leather crafts, and in its iconic bags.
At night it lights up, making the diamonds shine
But the best comes now, the façade panels are made of metal plates cut by laser and welded together, giving rigidity and continuity to the entire complex, and ensuring its stability. The lattices allow the passage of air, giving an appearance of freshness and lightness that is appreciated.
The store, dedicated to the brand’s men’s collection, is illuminated at night, projecting beams of light outside through the edges of the metal panels, dazzling potential customers. Clearly, at night, all cats are brown, and the best flagship stores shine like diamonds.