At the France Pavilion, Celine introduces a meditative installation where gold dust meets leather, marking 80 years of the house and 55 in Japan.

At the Osaka-Kansai World Expo 2025, Celine steps into the France Pavilion with quiet intensity. The house’s latest installation, Celine MAKI-E, is less spectacle, more communion—a dialogue between French design and Japanese craft. The exhibition, running from 13 April to 12 May 2025, commemorates Celine’s 80th anniversary and 55 years in Japan.


The centerpiece is a series of Triomphe emblems reimagined in urushi lacquer by Wajima-based collective Hikoju Makie. Powdered gold and silver are carefully brushed onto natural wood, forming motifs drawn from waka poetry. The result is a reinterpretation of the logo as something spiritual rather than purely symbolic.

Displayed alongside are three limited-edition Triomphe bags in red, black, and gold—each color selected for its cultural resonance. The bags, lined in lambskin, feature plum blossom details symbolic of longevity and renewal, with each individually numbered and stamped in gold.
Two films by artist Soshi Nakamura complement the installation. In “Hands at Work,” the camera moves between workshops in Kanazawa and Radda in Chianti, capturing the parallel rhythms of Japanese lacquer artisans and Celine’s leatherworkers. “Ten Landscapes of Dreams” places the Triomphe emblem into shifting, dreamlike terrains, projected onto mirrored walls and LED screens.


The space itself is designed to feel ephemeral yet grounded. Shoji paper walls, basaltina stone, and mirrored surfaces set a tone of reflection and simplicity. Rather than opulence, the atmosphere invites quiet contemplation.

Celine MAKI-E forms part of LVMH’s broader presence at the Expo under the theme “a hymn to Love.” Yet, this installation distinguishes itself through restraint—it doesn’t shout, it listens; it doesn’t dazzle, it invites. Above all, it’s an exploration of how heritage can be preserved, reinterpreted, and honored across cultures.