louis vuitton takes over venice's historic news kiosks during the biennale

venice’s newsstands get a Louis Vuitton restyle

As the Venice Art Biennale 2022 opened its doors to the public over the weekend, visitors making their way through the winding streets of the famous canal city will have noticed a series of revamped news kiosks with pink ‘Louis Vuitton‘ logos. The temporary takeover is part of the French fashion house’s initiative to celebrate these historic and much-loved newsstands and return them to their former glory. It follows a similar project in Paris last year when LV restored the city’s emblematic green ‘Bouquinistes’ on the banks of the River Seine.

On the occasion of the Biennale, Louis Vuitton carefully refreshed six of Venice’s historic newsstands, some of which date back to the 19th century. Protected by Belle Arti—the association that preserves buildings of cultural significance in Italy—,the work included no major modifications, just cleaning, repainting, and adding sun shades where possible.

the LV kiosk adjacent Saint Mark’s Square in Venice

all images © designboom

The restored newsstands displayed Louis Vuitton’s colorful city guides, transforming the small newspaper and magazine outlets into eye-catching mini bookshops. The newsstand owners were also joined by LV experts to inform visitors about the guides. Described by the luxury brand as ‘indispensable companions for the discerning traveler’, the travel books feature special guest contributors, secret places, walking tours, cultural events, recommendations from savvy journalists, and photographic portfolios. Available in both print and digital versions, the series so far covers 30 destinations: from Amsterdam to Mexico, Miami to Venice.

The takeover lasted just one week, with Louis Vuitton renting the stands from owners as well as paying them a small percentage of the print sales. However, one LV kiosk will remain open for one week longer, until this coming Sunday (May 1st), in a prime spot adjacent Saint Mark’s Square.

some of Venice’s much-loved kiosks date back to the 19th century