The unveiling of the Claridge’s Christmas tree marks the unofficial start of the festive season, as the London hotel picks up its little black book and selects a fashionable friend to create the unique display – from Karl Lagerfeld to John Galliano, Diane von Furstenberg to Kim Jones, who have each designed their own distinct take on the Yuletide centrepiece over the years.
Unveiled today (23 November 2023) in Claridge’s historic lobby is the latest collaboration; though this time, the hotel has drafted an institution synonymous with both style and travel, Parisian fashion and leather goods house Louis Vuitton, which began life as a trunk maker in 1854. It was the same year that Claridge’s itself was founded, and the two have long been intertwined – it would probably be impossible to count the number of Louis Vuitton suitcases, hat boxes, and handbags that have been carried across the hotel’s threshold since its opening.
Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2023 by Louis Vuitton
The dramatic, five-metre-tall display looks back to these roots in travel, comprising an enormous version of the Louis Vuitton trunk in signature monogram adorned with Claridge’s travel stickers based on the hotel’s historic ephemera (founder Louis Vuitton’s grandson, Gaston-Louis Vuitton, was an avid collector of hotel stickers, which he would use on his luggage as a memento). Inside, the trunk opens to reveal a shimmering stack of shiny chrome trunks, their shape recalling that of a traditional Christmas tree.
As for decorations, 21 examples of Louis Vuitton’s ‘mascot’ Vivienne – a keepsake doll introduced in 2018 that recalls the house’s monogram and comes in a multitude of collectable iterations – clamber across the display, including a Father Christmas. Elsewhere are miniature trunks and a dusting of snow, while in lieu of a star or angel at the top is a model of Asnières, the historic home of the Louis Vuitton family and atelier. Located on the river in Paris, it is particularly important to the house’s history; in 1875, it was where the Louis Vuitton hard-sided wardrobe trunk was created.
‘[This year’s Claridge’s Christmas tree] is by our legendary friends at Louis Vuitton,’ says 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.’
Claridge’s Christmas Tree 2023 by Louis Vuitton can be seen at Claridge’s, Brook Street, London.
