Louis Vuitton unveils 'Visionary Journeys' exhibition in Osaka
Dubbed 'Visionary Journeys' and running until September 17, the showcase reimagines the house's rich history through the unique lens of Japan.
Curated by fashion historian Florence Müller and brought to life by Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, the exhibition spans twelve immersive spaces, with over 1,000 pieces on display, including archival sketches, rare artworks, leather goods, and installations.
A standout feature is the inclusion of more than 200 Japan-specific artefacts, highlighting the Maison's deep cultural ties with the country.
Visitors enter through a dramatic five-storey atrium filled with glowing trunks, followed by an immersive dome built from 138 trunks.
In monogram, a celestial-themed room highlights the evolution of the iconic pattern, including a rare 1897 sample. Atelier honours the artisans behind bespoke pieces, such as collaborations with Sho Hirano and designer Verdy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Nintendo quarterly revenue surges thanks to Switch 2
Pent-up demand for the new gadget from the "Super Mario" gamemaker fuelled fan excitement at the release, which saw sold-out pre-orders and midnight store openings. The Switch 2 smashed industry records by selling 3.5 million units in its first four days, and Nintendo said Friday it had shifted around 5.8 million consoles in its first month. "Net sales increased significantly in the first quarter, due mainly to the launch of Nintendo Switch 2," the Japanese company said as it reported a 132 percent on-year jump in sales for the April-June quarter to 572 billion yen ($3.8 billion). Net profit in the quarter was up 19 percent on-year. "The launch of Switch 2 has surpassed many people's expectations," and it will be hard for another console to match its strong start, gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto told AFP. "Nintendo should be able to comfortably ride on this momentum through the holidays and into 2026," although a key challenge will be maintaining a consistent supply of popular games, he said. The company says it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 units by the end of March 2026, a target it left unchanged on Friday. Although the Japanese gamemaker is diversifying into hit movies and theme parks, console hardware remains the core of its business. The Switch 1, a hybrid console that can be used on-the-go or connected to a television, soared in popularity during the pandemic with hit games such as "Animal Crossing". It has sold 152 million units since its 2017 release, making it the third best-selling console of all time after Sony's PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS. Although the Switch 2 has a bigger screen and more processing power, and new features including controllers that can also be used like a desktop computer mouse, the hybrid concept is the same. It is also more expensive than its predecessor, at $449.99 in the United States, compared to a launch price of $299.99 for the original Switch. The postponed launch of the hugely anticipated "Grand Theft Auto VI" by US publisher Rockstar Games from this year to May 2026 will also be a bright point, Toto said. "If GTA6 launched this year, it would have sucked almost all the oxygen out of the room and made marketing Switch 2 definitely harder for Nintendo," Toto said.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Millions of evacuees return home as tsunami warnings lifted across Pacific
Tsunami warnings were lifted across the Pacific rim Wednesday, allowing millions of temporary evacuees to return home. After one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded rattled Russia 's sparsely populated Far East, more than a dozen nations -- from Japan to the United States to Ecuador -- warned citizens to stay away from coastal regions. Storm surges of up to four metres (12 feet) were predicted for some parts of the Pacific, after the 8.8 quake struck off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula. The tsunamis caused widespread disruption. Peru closed 65 of its 121 Pacific ports and authorities on Maui cancelled flights to and from the Hawaiian island. But fears of a catastrophe were not realised, with country after country lifting or downgrading warnings and telling coastal residents they could return. In Japan, almost two million people had been ordered to higher ground, before the warnings were downgraded or rescinded. The Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan -- destroyed by a huge quake and tsunami in 2011 -- was temporarily evacuated. The only reported fatality was a woman killed while driving her car off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape, local media reported. In Chile, authorities conducted what the Interior Ministry said was "perhaps the most massive evacuation ever carried out in our country" -- with 1.4 million people ordered to high ground. Chilean authorities reported no damage or victims and registered waves of just 60 centimeters (two feet) on the country's north coast. In the Galapagos Islands, where waves of up to three meters were expected, there was relief as the Ecuadoran navy's oceanographic institute said the danger had passed. Locals reported the sea level falling and then rising suddenly, a phenomenon which is commonly seen with the arrival of a tsunami. But only a surge of just over a meter was reported, causing no damage. "Everything is calm, I'm going back to work. The restaurants are reopening and the places tourists visit are also open again," said 38-year-old Santa Cruz resident Isabel Grijalva. Earlier national parks were closed, schools were shuttered, loudspeakers blared warnings and tourists were spirited off sightseeing boats and onto the safety of land. The worst damage was seen in Russia, where a tsunami crashed through the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged the local fishing plant, officials said. Russian state television footage showed buildings and debris swept into the sea. The surge of water reached as far as the town's World War II monument about 400 meters from the shoreline, said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov. The initial quake also caused limited damage and only light injuries, despite being the strongest since 2011, when 15,000 people were killed in Japan. Russian scientists reported that the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake. "Red-hot lava is observed flowing down the western slope. There is a powerful glow above the volcano and explosions," said Russia's Geophysical Survey. Pacific alerts Wednesday's quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952, the regional seismic monitoring service said, warning of aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude. The US Geological Survey said the quake was one of the 10 strongest tremors recorded since 1900. It was followed by dozens of aftershocks that further shook the Russian Far East, including one of 6.9 magnitude. The USGS said there was a 59 percent chance of an aftershock of more than 7.0 magnitude in the next week.
France 24
6 days ago
- France 24
Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda. Godzilla was born on November 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda. "I am a very big fan of Godzilla," said Angela Hill, a teacher who traveled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con, which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla. One of the world's largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series. As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific. It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan in a rage, symbolizing the deadly power of nukes. "I think because he came from such a historic event -- like, a lot of other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don't hold the grief of a nation," Hill said, referring to the US nuclear bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. At the pop culture watering hole in San Diego, people lined up to shoot pictures and video with an image of Godzilla, which was also the theme of a panel discussion on Friday that featured Shinji Higuchi, who co-directed a reboot in 2016 called "Shin Godzilla." The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work. - 'Rooting for him' - On Saturday the writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book "Godzilla: The First 70 Years," which sold out at Comic-Con. "It's a rich history," Ryfle told AFP. "This is the longest running feature film franchise in cinematic history that's focused on a single, continuous character. It's been around longer than James Bond." He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins. "Godzilla has been serious, it's been scary, it's been heroic, it's been funny. But at the same time this is a movie character that's rooted in something that's very real," Ryfle said. "And that's the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," he added. He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie, was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and in particular against nuclear weapons. Michelle Pena, a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster's charm is how it has changed over the years. "Good, bad, hero, anti-hero, you know. And I like that," she said. "He's not, like, lovable," she added. "He's a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know. He's scary. But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him." © 2025 AFP
