At a launch event in Paris, the French luxury group honored 69 artisans for excellence in their craft.

PARIS — After launch events in Paris and Shanghai, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton on Friday kicked off the sixth edition of its Les Journées Particulières open-doors event.

Returning after a four-year hiatus, it welcomed members of the public to 71 locations worldwide over three days, beginning with the LVMH Virtuosos ceremony at La Samaritaine department store in Paris on Thursday night, which honored artisans for excellence in their craft.

At the sprawling launch party hosted by Antoine Arnault, director of image and environment at LVMH, guests lined up to get personalized Louis Vuitton luggage tags, swill Hennessy cognac or sample a chunk of a Cova panettone as big as a footstool.

Perhaps inspired by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, of which LVMH was a major sponsor, Arnault had the 2026 class of LVMH Virtuosos follow flag-bearers through the crowded soiree, the guests parting and applauding as the 69 artisans passed clutching a jewelry box containing a special pin designed by Maison Fred.

At a prelaunch dinner in Paris, Arnault acknowledged the event comes at a challenging time for luxury goods. Shares in LVMH are down more than 40 percent so far this year, causing the group to lose its crown as France’s most valuable company to L’Oréal.

“A great deal has changed since the first edition. The group has grown enormously, and at times that growth was so rapid that we had to ask ourselves whether we were losing sight of our core values,” Arnault said.

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