After unveiling its monumental Milan flagship, Louis Vuitton is upping the ante with a new Shanghai concept in the shape of a life-size cruise ship.

Dubbed “The Louis,” the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned megabrand’s latest landmark brings together retail, hospitality and an exhibition component under one roof.

“The Louis marks a step further into Louis Vuitton’s cultural journey,” Pietro Beccari, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, told WWD in an email.

“Shanghai is the perfect harbor to stage such a daring fusion between retail, an exhibition and a café, crystallizing an experiential place where creativity meets excellence. All together they embody our spirit of traveling in a cheerful way — not just across borders, but through ideas, emotions and inspiration,” Beccari said.

With its metallic monogram exterior, glistening deck and stacked upper levels formed by zinc-coated Louis Vuitton trunks, the futuristic storefront marks a striking presence at the entryway of HKRI Taikoo Hui, a luxury shopping mall at the heart of Shanghai’s West Nanjing Road retail artery.

According to the brand, the creative direction for the building originated from historical musings. The founding of Louis Vuitton, which began crafting its monogrammed trunks for transoceanic voyages in the 19th century, happened to coincide with Shanghai’s opening as a treaty port in 1843.

The bustling banks of the city’s Huangpu River soon won the name of “Gateway to the East” and by the 1930s, the establishment of transoceanic routes solidified its status as one of the world’s great port cities.

“The boat-like structure responds to Shanghai’s ethos of ’embracing all rivers’ and its innovative, cosmopolitan identity. Reaffirming Louis Vuitton’s role as a house of culture, this concept transforms retail into a cultural interface, a vessel for urban spirit and a platform for public dialogue,” the brand said in a statement.

The elongated structure, which was formerly split into several fashion retail outposts, spans 17,850 square feet and three stories.

Entering the maritime-themed vessel, visitors will first encounter the “Visionary Journeys” exhibition, which was designed in collaboration with the renowned OMA architectural firm.

Spanning 13,000 square feet, two levels and 10 thematic rooms, the first iteration of the exhibition was unveiled at LV The Place Bangkok, then traveled to the Osaka World Expo.

For Shohei Shigematsu, New York-based partner of OMA who created the scenography, the goal is to create a sense of discovery, or rediscovery of Louis Vuitton in an atypical fashion.

“We went through the archives, we went to their factory, we really had a crash course of the brand and came to the conclusion that the trunk is their core identity, that it was a vehicle of innovations after innovation,” explained Shohei of the origin of the exhibition’s signature installation “Trunkscape,” which is composed as a tunnel that hovers within an ever-changing LED backdrop of nature scenes of Guilin, which became the backdrop of the brand’s new “Travel Campaign” that will launch on July 1.

“The trunk represents the weight and the stability of the identity, but I thought that it was our role to destabilize it a little, so we created a space where you’re not really exhibiting the trunks; you are creating the space by using the trunks, which was our little twist and a way to challenge the idea of communicating identities,” Shigematsu said.

“People understand intuitively how strong and light the trunks are because it can be a structure itself. The LED really evokes a sense of travel in the beginning without too much explanation,” Shigematsu continued.

In Shanghai, the stacking of the trunks was reconfigured with a new twist and seven out of 10 rooms are newly created. “It’s quite a diverse experience, it’s unpredictable, it’s fun and it’s also educational,” Shigematsu said.

The exhibition consists of two parallel themes, one that charts Vuitton’s maritime connections, which is meant to pay homage to Shanghai, and one that traces its brand history, starting from its roots in Asnières, where the original workshop was established in 1859.

After passing through the time capsule-alike “Trunkscape,” visitors enter “Origins,” a room decorated with a cloud of historical information, which Shigematsu described as “getting inside the brains of its founders.”

The story continues with “Voyage,” which explores a more playful side of travel. Artifacts include whimsical bag shapes, archival advertisements, and customized pieces that belonged to legendary travelers and intellectuals.

The ensuing five rooms explore facets of the brand that made it into the powerhouse it is today.

The first “Perfume” room, which is lined with the Marc Newson-designed perfume bottle, features archival items such as vintage toiletry kits in crocodile and crystal, and traces its history since master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud revived the brand’s scent family in 2016.

In “Books,” a rare collection of writings, sketches and travel lectures by Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the founder’s grandson, sits alongside a tribune to Ernest Hemingway, who was a valued client of the house — according to popular lore, a lost manuscript of “A Moveable Feast” is said to have been found inside a Louis Vuitton trunk.

“In many fashion exhibitions or retrospectives, they tend to just focus on achievements and their own makings or products. But we liked how Gaston[-Louis Vuitton] was a collector of many things that went beyond his creation, and we thought by showing the influence — that they got at the time in Paris and the World Expo, among many different moments — you could go beyond the typical understanding of someone’s inspiration,” Shigematsu explained.

The “Sport” room, featuring archival cases for ski gear, racquets and trophy trunks for Formula 1, FIFA and the Olympics, aptly frames the brand’s embrace of the sporting world.

The “Fashion in Motion” room sheds light on the evolution of Louis Vuitton’s many iconic bags. The section showcases styles such as Alma, Speedy, Noé, Keepall and Petite Malle, all created by its star creative leads, beginning with Marc Jacobs, followed by Nicolas Ghesquière, Kim Jones, Virgil Abloh and, most recently, Pharrell Williams.

Finally, the “Workshop” and “Testing” spaces pull back the curtain on how Louis Vuitton pieces are made — two artisans will be on site to showcase the craftsmanship.

As the exhibition concludes, guests are ushered into the gift store and fashion retail space on the second floor, where they will find a selection of women’s and men’s leather goods, accessories, footwear and travel items. A set of eight Vivienne Fashionista bag charms in a trunk, new Speedy styles and a hot-stamping machine for luggage tag personalization, among others, will be released first at the Taikoo project.

Located on the third floor is Le Café Louis Vuitton, the brand’s first dining space in Shanghai. Accommodating guests between the bar, casual seating areas — both indoors and al fresco — and table arrangements, the bistro-style eatery is led by executive chef Leonardo Zambrino, formerly of The Hall in Chengdu, and executive pastry chef Zoe Zhou.

The menu, developed under the mentorship of chefs Arnaud Donckele and Maxime Frédéric, who collaborate with the house on various projects in Europe, blends Shanghai-style fare with classic Western dishes.

Seventy percent of the Shanghai menu is newly created, with what are dubbed “cultural dishes.” Highlights include the “monogram Raviolis” crafted as Chinese dumplings and the “Caesar Salad Eclipse” that swapped ranch for Shanghai yuja, or yuzu, dressing. Other classics, such as the “Louis Hao,” a seabream carpaccio highlighted with a bergamot sabayon and garden vegetables, a “Mandarin Croque” of duck leg confit with summer cabbage, and Zambrino’s signature dish, “The Hall treasure,” complete the savory menu.

“For LV Café, I chose local vegetable pairings that had a punch to it, I wanted to give credit to all the special Yunnan ingredients I came across during my time at The Hall in Chengdu. Tree tomatoes and Yunnan palm hearts, for example, are not found in the original French dishes, but the vibrancy of these ingredients and the sophistication of Western cuisine have given new life to classic continental flavors,” Zambrino said.

As for the dessert menu, signature items at other Louis Vuitton cafés, such as the chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla entremets, have traveled to Shanghai to complement newly crafted sweet indulgences such as Peach Charlotte with Jasmine Tea and a pavlova of exotic fruits with a delicate Louis Vuitton flourish.

The Louis will make its debut on Thursday followed by a nonstop 24-hour celebration starting Friday at midnight. Offering a blend of culture, wellness and gastronomy, the lineup includes a midnight screening, a sunrise Tai Chi session, an illustration workshop, and a culinary masterclass by Zambrino, a poetry salon with the Chinese writer Mian Mian, and special dance performances.

From June 28 onward, the space will be open to the public. Visitors will be able to sign up for a time slot on the “My LV” WeChat Mini Program. For Le Café Louis Vuitton, visitors can make reservations on the “LV Cafe” WeChat Mini Program.