It seems to be expanding customer contact points through cafes and restaurants amid a recession such as weak consumption.
According to the industry on Wednesday, French luxury brand Louis Vuitton will open its restaurant Le Cafe Louis Vuitton in Seoul’s “Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul” in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. Following the Ga Open last month, it will start full-scale operations on March 1.
Louis Vuitton is introducing menus tailored to local characteristics in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Milan, and Bangkok through the global gastronomic network “Culinary Community,” which discovers and supports promising chefs around the world.
Le Cafe Louis Vuitton expands Louis Vuitton’s worldview, where fashion, culture and gourmet food intersect, into everyday experiences. To this end, the Louis Vuitton signature pattern “Monogram” was used for tableware and desserts used in restaurants.
The main menus are “Yuja Caesar Salad Eclipse,” which is a mixture of original Louis Vuitton signature Caesar salad with citron dressing, “Beef Dumpling,” which reinterprets traditional dumplings, and “Fair Charlotte,” which honors Seoul and France. It is characterized by a Korean flavor added to the French-based menu. Italian luxury brand Gucci will reopen its restaurant “Gucci Osteria Seoul” on April 4. It opened on the sixth floor of Gucci’s house in Itaewon, Seoul in 2022, and will move to the fifth floor of Gucci’s Cheongdam flagship store in Gangnam-gu.
Gucci Osteria is a restaurant created in collaboration with Italian chef Masimo Botura, and Seoul is the fourth place in the world. Starting with its first store in Florence, it opened its second store in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles and its third store in Ginza, Tokyo.
The dark green interior with Gucci’s unique sensibility features original and antique tableware and furniture. Seoul Garden Salad inspired by the Korean season and Emilia Burger in a small pink box are the main dishes.
The business expansion seems to be due to sluggish business conditions. LVMH, a French luxury brand group that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, recorded an operating profit of €39.8 billion in the first half of this year. The figures are down 4.3 percent and 15 percent, respectively, from the same period last year. Kering’s sales in the first half of the year, which owns Gucci, also fell 16 percent from the previous year to €7.6 billion, and its operating profit fell 39 percent to less than €1 billion. Gucci sales plunged 26 percent in a year. Ralph Lauren, a U.S. fashion company, opened Ralph Lauren Coffee Seoul on the first floor of the Polo Ralph Lauren store in Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, Seoul last year. It sells Ralph’s Coffee Special Bland, Ralph’s Brownie, and cakes that are carefully selected in Central and South America. The second to fourth floors are Polo clothing stores.
In addition, global fashion brand Zara introduced “Jacafe” at the flagship store in Myeong-dong in May. With the motif of Korea’s “Doldam,” it sells Korean menus such as crystal, latte, and monaka. Jacafe is a cafe that has been opened in Madrid, Spain, as well as Nanjing, China, and has a modern reinterpretation of the traditions and culture of each city.
Swedish clothing brand Arquette also operates a joint store with Cafe Arquette. French fashion brand Apes opened its store in Sinchon, Hyundai Department Store in Seoul in November last year, and also introduced Cafe Apes.
An industry official said, “The expansion of F&B of luxury and fashion brands is not just an additional business, but part of experiential marketing that increases brand loyalty.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
