Louis Vuitton Names Hector Muelas Creative Chief After China Dispute
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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.
Leading creative and content execution, he will oversee all brand campaigns
Bertrand said in an internal announcement detailing the appointment. His remit covers creative consistency and narrative campaigns across all customer-facing touchpoints worldwide.
The Molly Tea Court Case and Boycott Impact
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.
“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.”
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.
Quarterly Fashion Division Contraction
Financial fallout appeared in group accounts shortly after. LVMH reported a 5 per cent organic revenue decline for its global Fashion & Leather Goods division during the third quarter of 2026, pointing to softer demand across mainland China. The reported figure covers the wider division rather than standalone Louis Vuitton boutique receipts in China.
Speaking on an October 12 earnings call, LVMH finance chief Cécile Cabanis told investors that the Molly Tea dispute likely hurt business at the start of the quarter, though the exact financial impact remains difficult to isolate from broad luxury belt-tightening.
Speculation also circulated regarding the future of Louis Vuitton chief executive Pietro Beccari, following French media commentary that his position was under scrutiny. Beccari remains in his role, which he has held since February 2023, while simultaneously leading LVMH’s Fashion Group since January 2026. Muelas was brought in to steer brand storytelling rather than reshape corporate governance.
Physical Retail Push Across East Asia
For store operators and luxury property landlords in Asia, the appointment highlights the operational friction between brand protection and commercial goodwill. Luxury houses have spent three decades using aggressive intellectual property litigation to clear Asian markets of copycats. Yet using identical tactics against a homegrown tea chain proved counterproductive, transforming a routine trademark defence into an argument over cultural entitlement.
LVMH cannot rely on trademark lawyers to restore foot traffic. Instead, the company is leaning on heavy physical retail spending to anchor prestige in primary regional markets. Louis Vuitton continues to operate its travel-themed retail destination in Shanghai and recently unveiled a large trunk-themed experiential installation in Hong Kong, betting that scale and craftsmanship can steady customer perception.
The creative overhaul comes after several quarters of shifting consumer spending patterns across Chinese tier-one cities, where local shoppers have become far more selective. Molly Tea is now preparing its appeal before the Chinese appellate court, while Muelas takes charge of the French house’s upcoming global marketing releases.