Fashion & Finesse Combine At Quill; Krug & Louis Vuitton Conversation Explores Champagne Wishes

NORTHWEST -- As two of world's marquis brands when it comes to the luxury lifestyle category, when either French champagne house Krug or fashion leader Louis Vuitton talk, people listen. And when the two of them unite for a joint conversation, people really listen.


So it wasn't hard at all to convince a handful of (lucky) Washington lifestyle journalists to attend an intimate gathering on Wednesday afternoon, inside The Jefferson Hotel's top-rated Quill Lounge, that explored the current state of luxury as viewed through fashion, cultural, and culinary lenses.

Hosted by Krug Champagne Development Manager for USA and Asia Julien Pepin LeHaulleur and Louis Vuitton's Mid-Atlantic branding team, the get-together came as part of a broader effort on behalf of Krug to educate restaurant industry professionals and the general public alike about the 170-year old champagne house.


Since Krug is well known as a producer of only prestige cuvées, its wines (yes, champagne is technically a kind of wine) are often considered to be only the domain of true oenophiles -- which couldn't be further from the brand's founding charter.

The Krug brand is rather simplistically obsessed with providing 'exceptional pleasure' to its end clients. One doesn't need to be an expert to enjoy the house's various wines. Indeed, out of the five or so varietals that make-up the brand's product line, there is no 'best'. Rather, each champagne has a different purpose with scarcity, not quality, impacting price.

An expert at balancing issues of scarcity and quality, Louis Vuitton often finds itself a topic of discussion too, along with Krug, when it comes to discussions over the luxury lifestyle segment. Both houses, of course, are part of global conglomerate LVMH, but are afforded a healthy degree of autonomy.


Such independence is designed to safeguard the authenticity of each individual brand. But a shared support for the arts and humanities, as well as a focus on finding the right blend of tradition with innovation, often finds Krug and Louis Vuitton working together.

Quite fitting to be sure since, as LeHaulleur likes to say: "The best way to drink champagne is to share it."