From social affordance to lifestyle

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On a Friday afternoon in Osaka, I stopped by the new Louis Vuitton flagship. Much talk has been made of LVMH’s foray into hospitality, and of the Louis Vuitton’s first-ever cafe and a restaurant in particular. I was intrigued.

And indeed, the building is distinctive enough. It features a facade made out to look like the sails of a the traditional Japanese Higaki-Kaisen cargo ship, a nod to Osaka’s naval history. But take the elevator to the 7th floor to Le Café V, and you’ll find yourself in much less impressive setting. The space is stuffy and suffers from the conflicting aesthetics and a very 80’s vibe (and not in a good way). The terrace has no view but a lot of Tiffany blue chairs. I completely missed the artwork by Tracey Emin despite (or maybe because) it was placed right in front of the elevator. The crowd is mostly clad in LV garb and wasn’t particularly sophisticated. Tourists mingle with provincial…