The film pays homage to the exquisite tradition of Italian cinema artisans and costume designers, and includes clips from epic films like “Ben-Hur” and “Kundun,” whose columns and temples were constructed by Italian artisans.
“I never felt like an artist — an artisan, yes,” said sculptor Gianni Gianese, who worked on historic Italian films like Federico Fellini’s “And the Ship Sails On” and “City of Women.”
“We share a lot of values in common: transmission of heritage, savoir faire, passion for creation and support of talent. We share that this is the oldest school, and we are a very old brand. It was very easy from the first discussion to understand how this partnership would live,” said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, South Europe president of Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton will open a new Rome boutique, the Etoile Maison, at the end of this month, in a historic venue that has been dedicated to a cinema for almost a century.
The Rome Maison is one of 14 Louis Vuitton Maisons in the world. The sprawling boutique will come complete with a screening room. Despite Italy’s lagging economy, Louis Vuitton hasn’t abandoned plans to invest further in Italy, and will open another Maison in Venice later this year, van Raemdonck explained.
“Italians are a key consumer for us. We need to look at the future. Italy will get out of this crisis,” van Raemdonck said.
