LVMH expands open house event to four continents

Luxury conglomerate LVMH is expanding its fourth edition of its ‘Les Journées Particulières’ open days event in October to 76 places across four continents.

For this year’s biennial event, the “open days” from October 12 - 14, will spread to the US, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, meaning that 13 countries will participate, compared to just six in 2016, with the luxury conglomerate stating that the event will “take on a new dimension”.

The event will see 56 fashion houses from LVMH’s group opening its doors to the public, with brands including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Tag Heuer and Nicholas Kirkwood, taking part.

There are 76 venues offering various experiences, 39 of which the conglomerate is calling “iconic”, while 38, have never been open to the public previously.

This year’s ‘Les Journées Particulières’ centres on the five senses to showcase the “savoir-faire and creativity of artisans, along with the architectural and cultural heritage of LVMH houses,” said the group in a press statement. With the idea behind the open days to give the public the opportunity to discover the elements that give LVMH houses their unique identity.

LVMH’s ‘Les Journées Particulières’ event expands to include 23 maisons for the first time

Antoine Arnault, chief executive officer of Berluti, chairman of Loro Piana and founder of Les Journées Particulières, said in a press release: “Les Journées Particulières was designed to embody our Houses’ hospitality and energy, and echoes the vital role that the act of transmitting plays for the LVMH Group: our aim is to share our diverse heritage, extensive savoir-faire and concrete innovations.

“This unmatched event has stepped up to the mark, each edition involves a growing number of Houses, talents and visitors, making this 4th edition a global celebration of the world of art, and craftsmanship.”

23 Maisons are taking part for the first time, including Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, Cape Mentelle in Australia, Terrazas de Los Andes in Argentina, Royal Van Lent / Feadship in the Netherlands, Benefit Cosmetics in San Francisco, Newton in Napa Valley, Sephora in the United States and Europe, Cova in Milan, Les Tanneries Roux in Romans-sur-Isère, as well as Rimowa in Cologne and the T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS in Venice.

The expansion of the event to include these ‘maisons’ LVMH said is to reflect the “growing international reach” of both Les Journées Particulières and the LVMH Group.

Iconic sites that have taken part in previous editions will once again welcome the public, such as LVMH’s Champagne and Cognac Maisons, the Château Cheval Blanc and Clos des Lambrays wine estates, the salons of prestigious Parisian houses including Dior, Guerlain, Chaumet, and Givenchy, along with Italian fashion and jewellery from Fendi, Pucci and Bvlgari.

New experiences include the opening of the Les Fontaines Parfumées in Grasse, the perfume creation workshop shared by Parfums Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, the Louis Vuitton prototype workshop in the centre of Paris and the Louis Vuitton workshop in Ducey, Normandy. It will also be possible to reserve an exclusive tour of La Colle Noire, Christian Dior’s last residence in Montauroux, which is no doubt going to be one of the hottest tickets.

In the UK, Nicholas Kirkwood will be opening up his boutique in Mayfair and his studio.

To enhance the event, LVMH is also creating exclusive digital content on a dedicated website, as well as creating an “invitation to journey event further into the heart of LVMH houses” with ‘Confidences Particulières’ an exclusive series of “sound tour” podcasts.

The podcasts will launch in September and will let visitors meet the creative talents and artisans of LVMH Maisons who perpetuate, cultivate, revisit and transcend the Group’s heritage through their creations and craftsmanship, explains the luxury conglomerate.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, added: “Every day at LVMH, our Houses’ talents make a difference as they embody the core values behind the Group’s success: excellence, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

“The Journées Particulières is a unique event which showcases our artisans’ passion for creativity and their trades, and where the general public is able to meet the Houses’ talents. The event is an invitation to discover exceptional venues and carefully-preserved savoir-faire.”

The concept of ‘Les Journées Particulières' launched in 2011, and this year’s event has been awarded the ‘Année Européenne du Patrimoine Culturel 2018’ label.

LVMH’s ‘Les Journées Particulières’ takes place from October 12-14, and prospective visitors will be able to create their online profile from September 13 to prepare for pre-registration, which will be open between September 24 and 30. Pre-registration gives people a chance to receive a priority pass for themselves and up to three guests.

Image: courtesy of LVMH