Louis Vuitton Brings Sweet Luxury to Shanghai With First China Chocolate Shop
SHANGHAI — Just in time to celebrate Qixi, the Chinese Valentine’s Day that will land in early August this year, Louis Vuitton has opened its first chocolate store in China at Shanghai’s Taikoo Li Qiantan shopping mall.
The Shanghai branch of Le Chocolat Maxime Frédéric is the third for the megabrand, after the opening within LV Dream in Paris and at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands.
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The chocolate shop, with interiors that exude a tropical garden ambience, also features a floor-to-ceiling wooden trunk display section. The Vivienne mascot and its pet lion, The Petula, are shown in various scenes that complete the playful setting.
All chocolate offerings, stamped with signature Louis Vuitton motifs, are directly flown in from Paris, made using high-quality ingredients and an attention to handcrafted workmanship, just like its iconic trunks, according to the company.
Prices for the sweet treats, dubbed the most affordable Louis Vuitton item by Chinese netizens, range from around 240 renminbi, or $30, to 3,200 renminbi, or $448.
The crown jewel of the shop is a Vivienne on Malle item, which showcases the craftsmanship of intricate chocolate gear mechanisms, down to the millimeter, according to Maxime Frédéric, the head pastry chef of Louis Vuitton’s pastry operations.
Occupying a petal monogram-shaped stand-alone space at the heart of the mall, the chocolate shop was formerly home to Louis Vuitton pop-ups that sit adjacent the mall’s Louis Vuitton flagship, the brand’s newest store in the city.
The chocolate shop is reserved for VIP clients until Monday. After Monday, the shop will be open to the public.
To better understand the Chinese market, the award-winning Frédéric visited China for the first time during the shop opening.
“We want to get inspiration from local culture and lifestyle,” said Frédéric, who was particularly interested in local spices, especially spicy ones. “In the future, we will definitely bring some customized creations for Shanghai, such as for Chinese New Year.
“It’s also important to share the happiness and joy of these exquisite chocolate treats,” Frédéric added. “Because the most important ingredient of a piece of chocolate is love.”
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