First Ever Louis Vuitton Café—Le Café V—To Open At New Osaka Midosuji Boutique In Japan

Photo Credit: Louis VuittonPhoto Credit: Louis Vuitton

In addition to soon opening its new Osaka Midosuji boutique in Japan, Louis Vuitton has also announced that this new boutique will house Le Café V—the first ever Louis Vuitton Café, in cooperation with renowned chef Kosuke Suga. A collaboration between architects Jun Aoki and Peter Marino—who frequently work with the House—the four-floor store pulls on the country’s rich heritage, while the café will be located on top of the boutique, also hides the secret entrance to Sugalabo V—Suga’s exclusive restaurant also situated inside the Maison.

Photo Credit: Louis VuittonPhoto Credit: Louis Vuitton

Architect Jun Aoki has worked on several other Louis Vuitton boutiques across the world, including New York’s Fifth Avenue Maison. For the Osaka Midosuji store, he played with the sea-adjacent town, with a pure, light and airy feel with white coloring, as well as metal motifs, drawing inspiration from a classic Higaki-Kaisen cargo ship on water.

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Artist Kenta Cobayashi crafted a unique, one-of-a-kind sculpture in honor of the opening, with liquid crystal distortions and ribbons that embellish the boutique windows with vibrant coloring, while Peter Marino married the maritime aesthetic with traditional Japanese culture; he utilized wooden floors to mirror a ship deck, wood-clad pillars and metal ceilings reflective of an impressive yacht, and even origami wash paper in various interior spaces, together with almost 20 artworks, either chosen or commissioned by Marino.

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Le Café V on the top floor boasts a menu curated by chef Yosuke Suga—a protégé of celebrated French chef Joël Robuchon—with its interior Cocoon Room—a spacious terrace and bar, open from day to night. Chef Suga’s popular restaurant Sugalabo is rated as one of the top restaurants across the globe, making him known for featuring local Japanese ingredients in an upscale environment, only housing just a few select patrons per evening for an intimate dining experience.

Photo Credit: Louis VuittonPhoto Credit: Louis Vuitton

Adjacent to the cocktail bar at Le Café V is a speakeasy-style door, providing access to the seemingly private restaurant Sugalabo V, again providing a very intimate dining experience for only a few select diners. An open kitchen and architectural styling reflect the original Sugalabo restaurant—which first opened in 2015—while nautical details pull from the design inspiration of the new Louis Vuitton boutique, providing a sense of continuity. In the restaurant, Monogram-inspired charger plates designed by Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades designer Tokujin Yoshioka are used, as well.

Photo Credit: Louis VuittonPhoto Credit: Louis Vuitton