Louis Vuitton flagship store opens in Solaire
Interactive LED walls light up the after party space.
MANILA, Philippines - It’s raining men — menswear, that is, among other shiny, beautiful, well-crafted things, now that Louis Vuitton has officially opened its second store in the country at The Shoppes at Solaire Resort and Casino Pasay City.
It occupies the same footprint as the Greenbelt 4 store but all in one level and compartmentalized into six sections with categories previously not available at Greenbelt. Men’s ready-to-wear is available exclusively at the Solaire store as a response to the demand created by the casino’s high-rollers, but the A-list attendees weren’t far behind on their Louis Vuitton style game. Jericho Rosales, Sam Milby and James Reid are all recognized in show business not just for their craft and star power, but also their style. They stepped it up in Louis Vuitton suits, shirts and trousers and dress shoes in exotic skins.
Kim Jones, Mari Jasmine, Janine Gutierrez, Nadine Lustre, Asia’s Next Top Model winner Maureen Wroblewitz and Gabbi Garcia gravitated to the women’s handbags and accessories division where a master French artisan invited guests to discover the maison’s savoir-faire: in a live demonstration, he completed the assembly of a Petit Malle, designed by artistic director Nicolas Ghesquiere and modeled after Louis Vuitton’s steamer trunks, in exotic purple, crocodilian brilliant leather, its individual parts laid out in a recreation of his atelier work desk. As Stephanie Kienle-Gonzales and Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi engaged in awe, the artisan reveals that, had he assembled it from scratch, it would have taken him 23 hours to complete.
In the middle of the room is the Gifting Collection, another Solaire exclusive in Manila. Writing instruments, stationery, pocket mirrors, ceramic trays, leather boxes, Plexiglass photo frames, all introduced globally last January, were brought in for Solaire’s largely tourist clientele (the staff also speak Korean, Japanese and Chinese), but I think for us Manila folk who want a little something from the brand, the trip up to Entertainment City is well worth it.
Just across from this section — past the trunk displaying the perfume line — is the Travel category where, beside the hot-stamping machine for personalization services, that uniquely Filipino icon, the jeepney, was specially designed and hand-painted onto a Louis Vuitton hard-sized Alzer trunk.
But that was all before the party. There, a seven-foot motion-activated interactive wall showcasing the Manila skyline was a prelude to a visual and aural feast, the after-party just next door. In a transformed gallery, Katrina Razon set the vibe with a DJ set followed by Australian DJ duo Flight Facilities to a backdrop of 17-meter interactive LED walls with motion sensor activations and visuals by Mvltiverse. Solenn Heussaff and KC Concepcion came through just in time for the sweet tunes.
It has been 24 years since the LV maison first entered the Philippine market in a 50-square-meter space at 6750 Ayala Avenue and then moved to Greenbelt 4 in 2003. Then, it was feted with a party that set the standard for Manila events from then onwards: free-flowing champagne, the Epi leather bracelets every guest brought home. Then the maison closed for another renovation and reopened in 2012, revealing a multi-level space and another big party. Star-studded with celebrities and society’s movers and shakers, the Louis Vuitton Solaire opening is now the party to beat.
With a bigger selection and store hours that go on until midnight, even after the last guest has shimmied away, the party has only just begun.
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Louis Vuitton Solaire is at the ground floor of The Shoppes at Solaire Resort & Casino, 1 Asean Avenue, Paranaque City.
