Publishing: a new battlefield for luxury brands

The recent launch of Louis Vuitton’s popup store at the DIFC Gate village in the heart of Dubai is striking, both for its color and its shape – which contrasts with surroundings of glass and steel towers, as well as for its content: the entire polychromic collection of Louis Vuitton’s City Guides, among other inhouse books. This boutique was inspired by turn-of-the-century Parisian newspaper stands and owes its coloring to the Emirate. The strong increase of tourists in the city over the past years and the exceptional growth of Russian and Chinese population over the last year make Dubai an increasingly unmissable destination for the main battleship of the LVMH Group. The city guide is no less than the thirtieth title published by Louis Vuitton. 

Yves Carcelle, former iconic Chairman of Louis Vuitton, decided in 1998 to launch its publishing house to support the internationalization of the brand and legitimize the cultural dimension he wanted it to convey. “When we open a boutique in a big city, our teams work long in advance, locally, he said during the 2010 inauguration of Louis Vuitton Beirut. Our guides allow us to show our interest for the city and its latest happenings, regarding themes such as gastronomy and culture.” He had then let a very promising young man take over, Julien Guerrier, who sadly passed away in January 2023. Guerrier had built and developed what he called les éditions voyageuses du malletier (“the trunk maker’s travel publishing”) for over 20 years.