Luxury Brands Step Outside the Store

Opening Various Experiential Spaces
Aligned with the 'Consumption = Experience' Trend

Herm?s Exhibition 'Forms of Transition'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Luxury brands are stepping out onto the streets. They are opening various experiential spaces to communicate their brand identity to the younger generation, who view luxury consumption as a form of ‘experience.’

According to the luxury industry on the 13th, Herm?s is hosting an exhibition titled "Forms of Transition" featuring contemporary artists until January 30 next year. This exhibition, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Herm?s Workshop Artist Residency operated by the Herm?s Foundation, is significant as a symbolic outcome representing the values pursued by the Herm?s Foundation. Since 2010, the Herm?s Foundation has selected four artists annually through its Artist Residency program and invited them to the Herm?s Workshop. The selected artists receive mentoring from world-renowned artists such as Giuseppe Penone, Richard Deacon, and Jean-Michel Alberola, and have the opportunity to experiment with rare materials like crystal, leather, silver, and silk, as well as the skilled craftsmanship of artisans, which are rarely accessible.

The Chanel global exclusive ice rink, operating until January 16 next year, welcomed over 5,000 visitors within less than a week of opening. All weekend time slots until January are already fully booked through advance reservations. Entry is limited to 100 people per time slot from 12 PM to 10 PM. The Chanel ice rink was prepared by Lotte Department Store and Chanel to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chanel’s iconic perfume No. 5 and the year-end season. The ice rink uses eco-friendly artificial ice panels instead of frozen water ice, making it recyclable and maintainable regardless of temperature.

Burberry Korea headed to Jeju Island. Burberry operated an immersive brand space called "Imagined Landscape Jeju" in Jeju for a month. As part of a global pop-up, the exhibition featured video artist works and Burberry’s fall/winter new outerwear collection. There was also the so-called Burberry caf?, "Thomas Caf?," where visitors could enjoy lattes marked with Burberry’s iconic initial ‘B.’ Not only Burberry, but Chanel also operated a pop-up store called "Chanel in Jeju" at the Shilla Hotel in Jeju last March.

Recently, the luxury industry has been increasing touchpoints with consumers by opening cafes and exhibition spaces. Especially as the 20s and 30s generation emerge as major luxury consumers, brands are busy creating spaces tailored for them. Whereas previously such efforts were limited to opening cafes in Gangnam, Seoul, recently, various experiential stores have been introduced. A luxury industry insider explained, "For the younger generation, luxury consumption has become a kind of play," adding, "We are focusing on introducing new products by launching experiential stores in various regions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.