A NEW STORE IN AN ISLAND PARADISE Golden sand, sapphire sea, palm trees swaying gently in the breeze, the Caribbean island of Barbados provides the idyllic setting for a new Louis Vuitton store, opening on 8th December 2011. Louis Vuitton Barbados is located within the new Limegrove Lifestyle Centre in Holetown, north of the capital Bridgetown on the island’s prized West coast. The Limegrove complex a combination of luxury retail and residential development aims to fuse contemporary Caribbean living with the rich history of Barbados. Holetown is in fact the island’s oldest settlement, marking the spot where Captain John Powell first claimed Barbados for the English Crown in 1625. An independent state since 1966, Barbados remains part of the Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. Louis Vuitton Barbados reflects the island’s proud heritage with an elegant interior design that marries the international architectural concept created by Peter Marino with a selection of antiques sourced from local antiquarians, including a carved mahogany console table and a pair of caned armchairs in the lounge. “Louis Vuitton is delighted to present in Barbados a store that both respects and reflects the unique ambiance of this captivating country”, says François Rosset, president of Louis Vuitton Latin America & South Africa. “We anticipate our Louis Vuitton friends to enjoy discovering all that the store has to offer, from the fusion of Louis Vuitton’s and Barbados’ architectural traditions to the much enlarged product selection, including our year round beach theme.”

Sheltered from the intense Barbadian sun by traditional shade screens on the façade, the store’s interior in which pale aniegre wood displays harmonize with darker cumaru wood floors and soft ginger carpeting offers an airy, light-filled showcase for Louis Vuitton’s product collections, including leather goods, luggage, shoes and accessories. Men’s and women’s resort ready to wear and beachwear will be available all year round the store is just a stone’s throw from the sea as will an extensive selection of textiles and sunglasses. At the same time as it embraces the heritage of Barbados, the new store also honours the traditions of Louis Vuitton: displayed alongside the contemporary luggage collections, which have their own space adjacent to the central lounge, is one of the company’s historic trunks. About Louis Vuitton Founded in Paris in 1854, Louis Vuitton is synonymous with the art of travel. Its iconic trunks, luggage, and bags have accompanied journeys throughout time. With the arrival of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs in 1997, Louis Vuitton extended its expertise to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches and jewellery, available in its exclusive network of stores located all over the world.