In bloom

Louis Vuitton has planted a Heritage Forest in Chelsea
By Bailey Slater | Current affairs | 19 October 2021
This article is part of Eco Watch

While the joy of stomping through a puddle of burnt, crunching leaves might be fleeting, SUGi and Louis Vuitton‘s newly-formed Chelsea-based pocket forest is set to preserve that autumnal joy, forever.

Known across the globe for its mission to restore native forests in urban spaces, SUGi has joined forces with Louis Vuitton and London’s Cadogan Estates to create London’s first heritage forest. Implementing the Miyawaki botanist methodology, which consists of planting four layers of foliage from shrubs and sub-trees to trees and canopies, the 240sqm pocket forest is taking root in the heart of Pont Street, a stone’s throw from Louis Vuitton’s Chelsea store, where it will be left to flourish for years to come.

In their mission to ‘Rewild’ the borough of Kensington and Chelsea and increase biodiversity, the trio is set to reintroduce 77 native species to the area – including 22 native tree species, and 55 native wildflowers – in hopes that it will reconnect us to nature. “The forest will be a green space for local neighbours to find quiet moments of respite and to take in the joys of nature in a vibrant and busy city,” says Elise van Middelem, founder of SUGi. “Thanks to its urban location, this forest will offer not only an individual experience but a communal one.”

For Louis Vuitton, the project acts on the Maison’s sustainable development plan, in which the company aims to achieve circular creativity and wholly responsible sourcing in the fight against climate change by 2025. Cadogan, who own and manage around 90 acres across the Chelsea and Knightbridge area, share in this sentiment. “It is vital that we try new opportunities to accelerate positive change,” says Cadogan CEO Hugh Seaborn, “and we believe this will be a beautiful and necessary addition.”

Find more info on Louis Vuitton’s sustainability mission here.




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