French luxury designer Louis Vuitton opened its first boutique in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday.

“For many years, the maison has maintained strong relations with Lebanese clientele and is proud to reiterate its engagement by offering a new store which respects the Beirutis’ heritage and patrimony,” said brand executive manager Yves Carcelle at the opening, which was attended by Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Louis Vuitton commissioned local artist Marwan Rechmaoui to construct a special installation depicting images of Beirut for its storefronts.

Bloomberg reports that, according to Yves Carcelle, the brand’s chief executive officer, Louis Vuitton will open its first stores in Lebanon and in Mongolia this year.

An unofficial source reported that the Louis Vuitton store in Ulaanbaatar will open on October 23rd 2009.

“Sometimes in our industry there is a tendency to follow your ego and sometimes open stores where you don’t have the market – we never do that,” Carcelle said.