Why Longchamp is transforming its New York boutique into a total experience
Luxury can no longer be sold: it must be experienced. That’s the challenge Longchamp has taken up by reopening its iconic SoHo boutique, transformed into an immersive space at the crossroads of design and sensory experience.
A metamorphosis orchestrated by Thomas Heatherwick
Nineteen years after its opening, Longchamp ‘s New York flagship at 132 Spring Street is reborn under the leadership of British designer Thomas Heatherwick, who was already responsible for the original concept. Renamed Maison Unique, the store becomes a showcase of emotion, conceived as a manifesto against functional shopping.
The heart of the place? A spectacular cascading staircase, now dressed in an acid green, which catches the eye from the moment you enter. On the second floor, spiral carpets climb up the columns, like a tactile extension from floor to ceiling. Parisian references punctuate the space: a crescent sofa by Raphaël Raffel, Fermob chairs evoking the Luxembourg gardens.
When retail becomes a theater of emotions
“Retail is reinventing itself around emotion,” says Jean Cassegrain, President of Longchamp. And it’s no coincidence that this transformation is taking place in New York, which has become the new laboratory for retail experiences. Jacquemus has already imagined a Provençal escape, Lacoste a monumental flagship and Printemps an avant-garde concept store. Longchamp, with Maison Unique, is not following the trend: it’s illustrating it.
A strategic, high-potential market
This ambitious redesign is not just aesthetic: it accompanies a clear strategy of conquest. Today, the United States accounts for almost 10% of the brand’s sales, with record growth of +27% in 2024. Globally, Longchamp posted growth of +20%, driven in particular by this American dynamism.
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