Louis Vuitton stacks travel trunks for Claridge's Christmas tree
Fashion brand Louis Vuitton has unveiled a Christmas tree made from stacked travel cases at Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, London.
Created as the hotel's annual Christmas tree installation, the 5.2-metre-high display is formed of 15 chrome trunks arranged to create the silhouette of a tree and reflect Claridge's art deco interiors.
Set in the hotel's black and white marbled lobby, the installation was framed within a pair of stacked Malles Vestiaire wardrobe trunks.
The tree was topped with a model of the Louis Vuitton family home in Asnières, while 21 different versions of Louis Vuitton's Vivienne mascots, including a version of Father Christmas, decorate the tree.
"We are excited to unveil the Claridge's Christmas Tree 2023 by our legendary friends at Louis Vuitton," said Claridge's general manager Paul Jackson.
"Christmas is the most magical time for us here at the hotel and we look forward to welcoming guests and seeing visitors immerse themselves in Louis Vuitton's world."
The installation is also a nod to the historic connection between the brand and the hotel. Louis Vuitton himself was the personal layetier – a person responsible for packing valuable items – for the wife of Napoleon III, Eugénie de Montijo, whose winter residence was Claridge's during the 1850s.
Vuitton would have packed De Montijo's trunks personally, and when the brand opened its first London store it was located near to the hotel.
Last year we rounded up 10 of the most imagative and unusual trees created in the festive season. These included a tree suspended upside-down from the ceiling and an exhibition in a country home of unconventional Christmas tree designs.
The photography is courtesy of Claridge's and Louis Vuitton.