Louis Vuitton’s brief to Treatment Studio for LV's iconic Time Capsule Exhibition was to bring the magical qualities of the luxury brand to life, and to tell the story of how LV have adapted to the current trends whilst always drawing on its rich heritage. Treatment Studio have an ongoing relationship with Louis Vuitton, having previously worked with the House on a series of projects including exhibitions, fashion shows and window displays and were excited to move forward with the design and execution of this iconic installation.
The result was the ‘Magic Malle’, which is a traveling installation that closely follows the traditional design of a Louis Vuitton trunk with an updated, technical twist. The outer shell is made from an acrylic box and genuine LV trimmings, with bespoke video screens creating the sides, top and ends of the trunk, thus giving endless possibilities of re-imagining what the trunk looks like through the eras that Louis Vuitton has been hand-making these iconic items.
The Magic Malle then sits within a room with LED walls, allowing a story to play between the walls and trunk. The content progresses through four main sections across 3 minutes, which are -
- Asnieres, the historical home of Louis Vuitton.
- Savoir Faire, the skilled artisans who create the products.
- The evolution of the House of Louis Vuitton and how the heritage items still heavily influence the current day.
- Haute Couture for both Men’s and Women’s collections.
The content is updated upon the launch of each new Louis Vuitton fashion show, which keeps the piece fresh and current.
One of the biggest challenges of the project was designing the overall piece whilst keeping in mind the physical and logistical constraints of the project to ensure that the final solution was costs effective, easy to tour with minimal setup/maintenance and the ability to work in a variety of different environments and light levels.
The screens themselves are commissioned directly from a manufacturer in Korea and shipped to the UK where each component is built into the trunk itself in a workshop in London. All of the control systems are housed within the trunk itself, allowing the unit to have a small, self-contained footprint.
The Magic Malle has made its’ way around the globe since launching in early 2017, to include stops in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Berlin, Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai, Melbourne, Madrid, Los Angeles, Osaka and most recently Toronto. Future dates for Jakarta and Taipei are upcoming for late 2018/early 2019. A Treatment Studio Technical Manager travels to each location to liaise with a local production company during installation to support the install as well as train the local production team on day-to-day operation.
Specific technologies used in creating the Magic Malle include –
- After Effects
- Cinema 4D
- TouchDesigner