14 DAY TRIAL // Louis Vuitton decided to house a temporary exhibit in Moscow by installing a gigantic replica of a signature steamer trunk in the historical Red Square landmark. The massive trunk was supposed to host an exhibit in honor of the 120th anniversary of GUM department store.
Russian citizens perceived the giant suitcase pavilion that appeared almost overnight in the city's iconic landmark as offensive and disruptive and asked officials to remove it immediately. The giant trunk is now being dismantled after a wave of public outrage demanded its removal, according to the Russian news site Rianovosti.
The establishment measured 100 feet (30 meters) in length and 30 feet (9 meters) in height, branded entirely with the Louis Vuitton logo being prepared to host a “Soul of Travel” exhibition. The French luxury fashion house organized the event to showcase historical suitcases and documentaries as a celebration of GUM department store's 120th anniversary and a charity event.
The well-marketed event wasn't received as the brand expected, the public forcing officials to remove the display from UNESCO's Heritage Site. Besides the fact that the gigantic trunk was placed in one of the places closest to Russians’ hearts, the timing was incredibly bad, occupying the square for the entire holiday season.
The Red Square is a sacred landmark of the Russian Government, and the luxury fashion house symbol just denigrated the place. Overwhelming negative feedback from the public led the Louis Vuitton team to start packing their oversized suitcase and move to another place.
The event also had a charitable purpose, the money resulting from the ticket sale would have gone to supermodel Natalia Vodianova's charity project “The Naked Heart Foundation.” The result of the charity event now remains unclear, but there is a big possibility that the event will just move the trunk building in another location and still host “Soul of Travel.”