Louis Vuitton

Since 1854 from Paris

Louis Vuitton (Louis Vuitton) is a world-renowned luggage and leather goods brand, founded by Louis Vuitton in 1854 in Paris, France, in 1987 with the French wine industry Moët Hennessy merged into LVMH, becoming the world’s largest luxury group, in addition to suitcases, handbags, but also involved in fashion, jewelry, glasses, shoes, watches, perfume and other fields.

· Brand History ·

Born in the southern French border village of Anchay, the brand’s founder, Louis Vuitton (1821-1892), traveled to Paris at the age of 16 and became an apprentice to the trunk maker Monsieur Maréchal.Louis Vuitton officially launched his own house in 1854 with the opening of its first boutique at 4 Avenue Neuve des Capucines in Paris. Four years later, he launched his first flat-topped suitcase, which was made of lightweight, durable and water-repellent Trianon grey canvas and shaped with an aspen wooden frame, making it a popular choice for travelers because it could hold more items than a traditional suitcase and could be easily transported by train or cargo ship. In 1859, Louis Vuitton set up a new workshop in Asnières sur Seine, just outside Paris, due to increasing demand for orders. He built a family mansion next to the workshop, which now serves as a museum that preserves all the important works and objects of the brand to this day.

Louis Vuitton atelier in Asnières-sur-Seine, France

After the death of Louis Vuitton in 1892, his son Georges succeeded the company, and the brand began to develop as a global enterprise, participating in the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and then officially entering the American market.

Started in 1896 as a combination of various symbols and Louis Vuitton’s logo, the Monogram monogram is one of the most iconic motifs inspired by the Victorian Japanese design of the British Victorian period.

Trianon Grey Canvas Travel Box (1854)

Striped canvas travel box (1872)

Damier Checkered canvas suitcase(1888)

Monogram canvas travel box (1896)

In 1914, Louis Vuitton’s global flagship store was unveiled on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, becoming the world’s largest travel goods store at that time, with branches opening in New York, Mumbai, Washington, London, Alexandria, Buenos Aires and other cities, gradually consolidating the brand’s position.

At the end of the 19th century, Louis Vuitton began to design canvas travel bags and handbags, including the Steamer (1901), Keepall (1930), Speedy (1930), Noé (1932) and Alma (1934). The Steamer is small enough to fit in a suitcase, the Keepall is perfect for travelling light, the Speedy is Louis Vuitton’s first everyday bag, and the Noé is the world’s first bucket bag. Originally a bespoke product for Coco Chanel, the Alma collection was later sold to the public with her permission.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Series handbags

After the end of the Second World War, in the face of economic depression, the Louis Vuitton brand once again expanded its product range to produce small items such as wallets and handbags. The monogram monogram was redesigned in 1959 to be applied to products other than bags. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the company began to expand its market into Asia, opening branches in Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, and Seoul. In 1985, the brand set up its first leather production line with the launch of the “Epi leather” collection.

Louis Vuitton Tokyo Matsuya Ginza Store

In 1987, the Louis Vuitton brand merged with the French wine company Moët Hennessy to form the Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton Group (LVMH), becoming the world’s largest luxury group. At present, the group has 70 brands in the fields of wine, fashion and leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, jewelry and watches.

Louis Vuitton Place Vendôme flagship store

LV’s first artistic director was American designer Marc Jacobs, who served from 1997 to 2013 and collaborated with artists such as American artist Stephen Sprouse, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama.
Nicolas Ghesquière, the current artistic director of womenswear, has been in charge since 2013 and has since launched the Capucines and Petit Malle collections, as well as the Masters collection in collaboration with American artist Jeff Koons.

In 2011, Kim Jones became the artistic director of menswear, and in 2017, he launched the “Louis Vuitton × Supreme” collection with Supreme. In 2018, Virgil Abloh succeeded Kim Jones as Artistic Director of Menswear.