Louis Vuitton appointed Hector Muelas to the newly created position of chief brand creative officer on November 1, following a 5 per cent quarterly revenue drop in parent LVMH’s fashion division.

The appointment follows a dispute in China where a local trademark court ruling against beverage chain Molly Tea sparked consumer pushback and hit sales early in the third quarter.

Muelas steps into the position after running global creative operations at Tiffany & Co., another LVMH brand, having earlier directed content and brand strategy at luggage maker Rimowa. In his new capacity, he reports directly to Louis Vuitton deputy chief executive Damien Bertrand.

Bertrand said in an internal announcement detailing the appointment. His remit covers creative consistency and narrative campaigns across all customer-facing touchpoints worldwide.

Trouble in mainland China surfaced after Louis Vuitton sued domestic tea operator Molly Tea over a four-petal floral design printed on disposable beverage cups. Louis Vuitton argued the graphic copied the flower motif from its heritage Monogram canvas. A Chinese court agreed in a first-instance ruling, ordering Molly Tea to halt use of the emblem and pay CNY 10.3 million, equal to roughly US$1.5 million. Molly Tea announced it would appeal the decision.

Winning in court did not protect the label on the street. Online discussions in China quickly took issue with the decision, with consumers arguing that four-petal floral designs belong to historic Chinese decorative arts rather than a 19th-century French luggage maker. Independent estimates pointed to an initial 30 per cent drop in Louis Vuitton boutique sales in China during July as consumers turned away from the label.

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