Luxe glass curves

Source : Straits Times – 4 Jul 2009

French luxury label Louis Vuitton is making waves, literally, with its Ion Orchard boutique. The 905 sq m store facing Orchard Road boasts the world’s first curved glass facade.

Designed by New York-based architecture firm Front Inc, it is a new look for a brand whose landmark stores such as its seven-storey flagship at Champs Elysees in Paris have box-like shells.

The store, which opened its doors to the public yesterday, is the chain’s largest outlet in South-east Asia.

A spokesman declined to reveal figures, but the cost of creating the duo-toned glass facade is believed to be hefty. Inspired by the folds of the label’s iconic Damier check scarf, all 197 glass panels of the facade were handmade and mould-textured by a glassmaker in London.

Located directly above the Mass Rapid Transit underground system, the boutique has an exterior which hangs like a glass curtain from the ceiling instead of being fixed on the floor.

It is one of the many architectural features at the outlet, the first to open for business at the mega-mall which is scheduled to launch on July 21.

Mr Jean-Baptiste Debains, president of Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific, said at a press conference at the store on Thursday: ‘In the past five to 10 years, not much has happened for retail and luxury here, so this is an important store. It marks the renewal of Singapore as a luxury hub for South-east Asia.’

The store interior is designed by the label’s own architecture team in Paris – which includes Singaporean Ho Kar-Hwa, the architectural design director for Louis Vuitton Asia Pacific – and has a curved layout to match the undulating glass exterior.

On the first floor, for example, there is a curved bag bar for women, which measures more than 9m, as well as a rotunda area that houses men’s accessories.

A circular staircase leads to the second storey where men and women’s ready-to-wear, men’s shoes and women’s leather goods and watches are sold.

Bathed in warm orange light and furnished with lush carpets and leather settees, the overall atmosphere is sophisticated yet intimate, much like a private dressing room.

Local show producer Daniel Boey, who attended the opening party on Thursday, says: ‘The glass facade is imposing and gives the store an air of dramatic fabulousness. It looks really grand, all lit up at night, like a showcase for a beautiful store.’