Unpacked Lore

Tapped by Louis Vuitton, OMA's Shohei Shigematsu creates an immersive retelling of the brand's venerable history

- SAM COCHRAN 

The legend of Louis Vuitton is often told in broad strokes. What is now an international luxury brand began as a trunk atelier, founded by its namesake Parisian in 1854. His son, Georges, later took the reins, followed by his son, Gaston-Louis—each generation making its own innovations. “The story has been told many times,” reflects architect Shohei Shigematsu, a New York–based partner of OMA. Epic tales, of course, bear repeating. So when the brand tapped him to conceive an exhibition, he immersed himself in the archives, challenging himself to dig into the details and revisit the narrative with fresh eyes.