LVMH lifts the lid on luxury experiences

The Future. LVMH is building a luxury destination right in the heart of Paris, giving aspiring artisans and curious visitors a place to interact with the 280 skilled trades that power the fashion conglomerate’s 75 brands. While other fashion houses have launched their own training facilities, the open-to-the-public aspect is part and parcel of a new push to have physical spaces where fans can participate in unique experiences that deepen their loyalty.

Haute HQ
Fashion conglomerate LVMH is building a new kind of fashion house in Paris.

• The 21,500-square-foot building will be the home of its vocational training program, Institut des Métiers d’Excellence, which has trained over 2,700 artisans in nine years.
• It’ll be open to the public, allowing people to take one to three-hour-long workshops in several different fashion techniques from working artisans.
• It’ll also feature a café, store, and exhibition space “all themed around craftsmanship.”
• Additionally, there’ll be a focus on showing visitors how technology is transforming these classic crafts — a move meant to woo younger visitors.

When it comes to visitors, LVMH’s hope is access to artisans and the inner workings of how luxury goods are made will increase appreciation of the goods and inspire some to join the ranks. Chantal Gaemperle, LVMH’s Executive VP of Human Resources & Synergies, says the house could fulfill the post-COVID “need to find meaning and make something that they can understand and touch.”

And that’s because the luxury workforce is aging, and there simply aren’t enough skilled craftspeople to replace those positions. As artisans retire, so do their institutional knowledge of making handcrafted products. LVMH hopes to train and/or hire 22,000 skilled artisans by the end of 2025… just as the luxury mecca is slated to open its doors.