EXCLUSIVE: Louis Vuitton’s New Travel Campaign Highlights the Beauty of China

GREAT ESCAPE: Chinese consumers may have paused luxury spending, but the country remains firmly in the sights of industry leader Louis Vuitton.

Days after opening a Shanghai flagship in the shape of a cruise ship, the brand has unveiled its new travel campaign, set in China. For the first installment, U.S. photographer Alec Soth shot the lush green scenery and karst limestone mountains near the Li river in Guilin.

The brand’s Monogram Horizon rolling case and Soft Keepall bag are showcased against a traditional fisherman’s bamboo raft. Its Alzer briefcase and small travel trunks are among the items strapped to bicycles crossing the river.

“The campaign’s images and video invite viewers to discover the country’s lesser-known gems and move beyond the familiar narratives often presented in Western portrayals,” Vuitton said.

The campaign launched in display on Tuesday, with print insertions due to begin on July 5, a rollout on Vuitton’s local social accounts on July 8, and its global social platforms on July 24.

The brand will unveil two more destinations in the coming months: Zhangjiajie, home to the quartzite sandstone pillars of the Wulingyuan District, and Datong, one of the nine ancient capitals in China.

Vuitton’s last travel campaign, in 2022, was shot by Viviane Sassen in Iceland.

Soth, who is based in Minneapolis, is best known for his large-format photography that blends documentary realism with lyrical storytelling. He has published more than 30 books — including “Sleeping by the Mississippi,” “A Pound of Pictures” and “Advice for Young Artists” — and is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship.

A member of Magnum Photos, Soth is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco and Loock Galerie in Berlin.