Louis Vuitton Debuts Its New UTC Boutique

The new Louis Vuitton store at UTC

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Luxury fashion houses have returned to the pre-pandemic tradition of hosting their cruise collections in exotic locales. Chanel shimmied to Monaco. Dior set sights on Seville, Spain. And Louis Vuitton packed trunks for a double mission in La Jolla.

The French fashion house hosted its catwalk at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, coinciding with a new store opening at Westfield UTC. Together, these confirm La Jolla’s significance to Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854. The house’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, is a lover of architecture, and Salk allowed him to be his most expressive.

Named for the Rue des Capucines in Paris, where Louis Vuitton opened for business in 1854, this Capucines MM handbag ($7,850) is superbly crafted from full-grain taurillon leather.

The brutalist icon by architect Louis Khan is not new to the brand, having been central to its 2019 travel campaign. Ghesquière has shown past collections at a John Lautner house in Palm Springs, the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Brazil, the Miho Museum in Japan, and the TWA Flight Center by architect Eero Saarinen.

The Westfield UTC space is a study in craftsmanship. A color-field painting by artist Christine Ruksenas-Burton creates a vibrant backdrop for accessories, jewelry, watches, leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes, and fragrances.