Louis Vuitton is celebrating two premieres: its first luxury concept store in the region, and its first ‘Island Maison,’ a multi-storey shopping location on a private island.

Located in Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the Maison built by star architect Peter Marino sells women’s and men’s collections, Louis Vuitton’s jewelry as well as design and art books. It is the 12th Maison in the world for the label.

One of the most sophisticated shopping concepts in the world, the Louis Vuittion Maison store, will be launching in Singapore on Sep 18.

Designed by award-winning architect Peter Marino, LV’s first Island Maison will sit directly on water, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bay.

It will also feature a private lounge and outdoor loggia, as well as an art gallery tunnel of contemporary works leading directly to the Marina Bay Sands Mall.

Just one year after opening its first casino, Singapore has emerged as Asia’s hottest new gambling capital with a revamped cityscape and billions of dollars pouring into the economy.

“Singapore has made a dramatic entry to the casino gaming market,” financial consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a report estimating the city-state’s casino gaming market at $2.8 billion in 2010.

The first casino opened in Malaysian-controlled Resorts World Sentosa on February 14, 2010, with US-based Las Vegas Sands following two months later as the world economy was still clawing itself out of recession.