Louis Vuitton announced over the holidays that its women’s pre-autumn 2024 collection will be revealed on 18 April 2024 at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai, China. As expected, the frenzy for nearby hotel bookings, travel visa applications, gilded VIP invites, and coveted guest lists are in the works for what promises to be the event of the fashion year.

Who is attending? Which top models will grace the long catwalk? How many Asian models will land the gig? And which stars of the firmament will descend upon Shanghai to witness Louis Vuitton’s Voyager Show? LVMH remains tight-lipped on the details as the shuffleboard of invitees is a still-in-the-works progress guarded by the sentinels of style.

Here’s what we do know so far: Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of women’s collections, will strut down the final catwalk as he presents the latest designs in the vibrant city of Shanghai, adding to another page in the storied history of the brand and the long-standing relationship between Louis Vuitton and China, dating back to the opening of the maison’s first local store in 1992 at the Peninsula hotel in Beijing.

According to the announcement, “the Louis Vuitton Voyager Show signifies an embracing of the maison’s spirit of travel to showcase off-season collections in exceptional and inspiring locations around the world. A story of discovery and voyage, each stop sees local setting and cultural exchange develop a unique foundation for the respective collection.”

Destination shows with breathtaking backgrounds have been the modus operandi of mega-brands for years. As far as memory serves, it is a trend that was amplified in 2007 when Karl Lagerfeld put on his Fendi show, featuring 88 models strutting down an 88-metre-long catwalk on the Great Wall of China. Bernard Arnault famously said it was “the fashion show that can be seen from the moon,” albeit facetiously. (For the record, the Great Wall cannot be seen from the moon, but the urban legend is anecdotally amusing and it lives on.) Pierre Cardin’s monochrome looks—a whopping 200 pieces—were unveiled in China’s Dunhuang desert with a grand finale of a model in a wedding gown riding a camel.

How will Louis Vuitton outperform its own vast repertoire of show-stopping events and build on its fashion legacy? One waits with bated breath, especially as the Long Museum West Bund is a formidable selection, with just the right amount of jaw-dropping architecture and expansive spaces to be the large canvas on which to showcase Louis Vuitton’s creative collection. The Long Museum West Bund is one of the finest private art museums in the world. Mammoth in scale and concept, it covers traditional and contemporary Chinese art, as well as other artworks from Asia, Europe, the United States, and more.

Previously, the maison held its last pre-autumn collection at Jamsugyo bridge in Seoul, setting a high bar for awe and spectacle. From a thematic perspective, the shows are in keeping with the spirit and essence of the brand, as the art of travel (through luggage, bags, and accessories) stems back to founder Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton’s upcoming women’s pre-autumn collection will premiere on 18 April 2024, and be available in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide on 17 May 2024.