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These Parisian Streets Are About to Be Renovated by… Louis Vuitton!

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The Editor

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Let's face it, construction work is part of everyday life in Paris. Most of the time, it's carried out by the city council, which aims to improve Parisians' daily lives. This time around, however, it's a major luxury brand that's about to transform the capital's landscape. Here's the scoop.

For several years now, LVMH has been teasing us about the opening of a massive boutique and a Louis Vuitton hotel. An ambitious project that, while delighting tourists from around the world who flock to shop on the world's most beautiful avenue, is not without consequences for the capital. Indeed, the upcoming construction work means the brand must plan some renovation work…


Two haute couture streets

If the enormous trunk located on the Champs-Élysées has defined the face of this 8th district neighborhood for several years, Louis Vuitton is about to leave an even more lasting imprint on the area. Indeed, to build its future store, the luxury brand is planning a chan

major project, whose scope and scale should extend work to the two adjacent axes, Rue Bassano and Rue Galilée. A project costing no less than 2 million euros, through which LVMH has committed to making the public space more peaceful after construction, by creating real space for pedestrians, and installing bike racks and public benches. But this decision is far from unanimous.


A Political Issue

Indeed, since the city of Paris announced the decision this Wednesday, October 7th to entrust the fashion brand with street rehabilitation, Paris elected officials (whether from the majority or not) are expressing their discontent. Many of them see this decision as a "privatization of public space". A fair argument, which Paris's mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has nonetheless rejected, asserting that this investment, though private, aims above all to make the capital shine, and to address obvious challenges, and that if this investment from the brand allows for funding other projects elsewhere, such as streets near schools, the City would only come out ahead. So, what do you think?