Louis Vuitton Trunk Ordered Removed

Updated Nov. 27, 2013 11:08 a.m. ETMOSCOW—Louis Vuitton’s giant Red Square suitcase has been sent packing.
Russia’s presidential administration Wednesday ordered the removal of the massive designer bag from outside the Kremlin after an outcry over its installation on the country’s most prominent square.

A giant Louis Vuitton suitcase in Moscow’s Red Square just steps away from Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum has angered Russian politicians. Photo: EPA

“The installation of this pavilion was not agreed with the administration,” a Kremlin spokesperson said.
Later in the day, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman clarified that a written order hadn’t been issued, but that the Kremlin was in favor of the suitcase’s removal because of “the problem with its sense of proportion.”
The 30-foot (nine-meter) tall and 112-foot (34-meter) long trunk stands just steps from Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum and blocks the view of St. Basil’s Cathedral from the square’s entrance. The huge box was to house a temporary exhibition called “The Soul of Travel” on the history of the company’s luggage, starting on Dec. 2. Proceeds were to go to a children’s charity run by the Russian model girlfriend of the son of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA MC.FR +0.50% LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton France: Paris €141.65 +0.70 +0.50% Nov. 27, 2013 5:35 pm Volume : 561,407 P/E Ratio 21.46 Market Cap €71.56 Billion Dividend Yield 1.69% Rev. per Employee €271,110 11/27/13 Kremlin Orders Removal of Gian… 11/18/13 Watch Firms Buy Swiss Parts Ma… 11/14/13 Some Lux Brands Struggle to Mo… More quote details and news » MC.FR in Your Value Your Change Short position ‘s chairman, Bernard Arnault.
The structure, which first appeared nearly two weeks ago, shot to attention Tuesday when politicians questioned whether it was appropriate. One Communist Party leader said it denigrated a “sacred place,” and a government-sponsored civic group convened a hearing on the matter while proposing a law to protect Russia’s important monuments from exploitation.

Louis Vuitton’s giant Red Square suitcase has been sent packing: Russia’s presidential administration Wednesday ordered the removal of the massive designer bag from outside the Kremlin. Lukas Alpert reports. Photo: Getty Images.

The French fashion house argued the suitcase had deep ties to Russian history as it is modeled after a trunk made for Tsarist-era Prince Wladimir Orloff, and features his monogram in large letters on the front and the Russian flag on its sides. The primary shareholder of the GUM department store, which sits adjacent to the square and sponsored the project as part of the store’s 120th birthday celebration, told the hearing that the government has approved the exhibit.
But on Wednesday, GUM said it had asked Louis Vuitton to take the case down as soon as possible following the “mixed” public reaction.
“Given the reaction from the public and the fact that the pavilion exceeded the agreed upon and permissible dimensions, we informed Louis Vuitton that it needed to dismantled immediately,” the GUM statement said.
A Louis Vuitton spokesman said the company wanted to clarify the situation with GUM and the Kremlin, and it had no immediate comment. A person familiar with the situation insisted the structure was delivered exactly as promised and that the company had been told that GUM had obtained the proper authorization. The person added that Louis Vuitton is negotiating with Russian authorities to see if there is a way to salvage the event, even if it has to be delayed.
On Wednesday, work on the valise stopped and it was instead surrounded by passersby posing for snapshots and television news crews. By nightfall, signs were put up saying “demolition work under way.”
The backlash was surprising given the popularity of luxury brands like Louis Vuitton among Moscow’s wealthy and aspiring nouveau riche. Even the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, has appeared in Louis Vuitton advertisements.
Natalia Vodianova, the model whose charity stood to benefit from the event, said she was heartbroken by the cancellation and hoped the exhibit could be moved. “If the show does not take place, we will not only be deprived of an exciting journey into history and beauty, but the charity won’t receive any funds from the ticket sales,” she wrote on her Facebook FB +1.31% Facebook Inc. Cl A U.S.: Nasdaq $46.49 +0.60 +1.31% Nov. 27, 2013 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 44.66M AFTER HOURS $46.51 +0.02 +0.04% Nov. 27, 2013 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 318,097 P/E Ratio 108.12 Market Cap $112.65 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $1,487,770 11/27/13 Sex Offenders May Be Banned fr… 11/27/13 Facebook, You Do Have A Teen P… 11/27/13 Morning MoneyBeat: Rally Leave… More quote details and news » FB in Your Value Your Change Short position page.
Spokespeople for the All-Russia Exhibition Center, a down-at-heel, Soviet-era fair ground outside of the city center, and for Gorky Park both said they would consider hosting the event if asked. In a statement later in the day, GUM said it would donate all the proceeds from an ice-skating rink it operates on the square in winter to the charity.
Red Square was originally the city’s main market, but became the focal point of national pageantry during the Soviet Union, serving as home to military parades and celebrations of national heroes. In recent years, it has returned to its more commercial roots, hosting fashion shows, rock concerts, motorcycle jumping and a corporate-sponsored skating rink in winter.
A spokeswoman for the charitable foundation said they were taken aback by the reaction because similar events had been held on Red Square in the past. “We’re genuinely surprised by it. It is the exhibit inside the pavilion that really matters. Louis Vuitton has had a Dior exhibit [nearby] before and that prompted no negative reaction,” Ksenia Gogitidze said.
As the city’s most visible public space, it has also been the frequent scene of protest. On Nov. 11, an artist stripped naked and nailed his scrotum to the ground to protest what he said was country’s descent into a police state. He was charged with ideologically motivated hooliganism. In January 2012, the punk protest group Pussy Riot made one of its earliest public appearances in the square, performing a protest song a month before they were arrested on hooliganism charges for a similar performance in Moscow’s main cathedral.
Earlier this week, Louis Vuitton was faced with another public relations headache when rapper Kanye West, who has collaborated with the company on a branded sneaker line, called on his fans to boycott its products until after Christmas because a top manager refused to meet with him.
—Christina Passariello and Olga Razumovskaya contributed to this article.
Write to James Marson at james.marson@wsj.com

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