Louis vuitton brand history. The past and present of the Louis Vuitton brand. New brand story

October 30, 2016 7:37 pm

Louis Vuitton (Louis Vuitton) - one of the oldest French fashion houses, specializing in the production of men's, women's and children's clothing, shoes and accessories of the luxury segment, as well as jewelry. Suitcases are the hallmark of the brand.

The fashion house was founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (pictured below).

Biography of Louis Vuitton

In 1837, the young Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and became an apprentice to the master of making chests - Monsieur Marechal. Thanks to his skills and talents, Louis quickly learned the technique of making travel suitcases. Soon his name was already heard by French bohemians and the upper strata of society. Due to the quality of finishes and expensive materials, Vuitton suitcases were very popular with very wealthy buyers.

In 1854, Louis Vuitton opened his first Louis Vuitton store: Malletier a Paris (translated from French: "Louis Vuitton: Leather suitcases of Paris") on the Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris on the Champs Elysees. The inscription on the pediment of the house to this day adorns: « Louis Vuitton, suitcase making, Parisian trading house founded in 1854 » .

In 1858, Louis introduced a novelty - a flat suitcase, which was named "Trianon". A distinctive feature of the model is its flat shape. Up to this point, all suitcases were produced with a convex lid, which made it difficult to transport them, since it was inconvenient to fold them. The suitcase was covered with a gray waterproof fabric, had a poplar wood base, and its edges were protected from knocking down with metal corners.

1858 marked the beginning of another characteristic feature of the Louis Vuitton brand - the emergence of a huge number of fakes. Flat suitcases began to be made by other luggage manufacturers. Then Louis came up with the "brand of uniqueness" of the brand - a striped red-beige color.

In 1859, due to the fact that orders came to Vuitton from all over the world, it became necessary to move to larger premises. In this regard, Vuitton's production moved to Asnieres, a village a mile from Paris.

In 1968, the fashion house developed into a company serving elite clientele, including royalty.

In 1869, at the grand opening of the Suez Canal, Ismail Pasha, the Khedive (vice-sultan) of Egypt, topped the list of heads of state placing special orders for Louis Vuitton. In addition, Vuitton created the trunk bed for legendary explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who helped solidify his reputation as a master of luggage design for long-distance travel.

In 1885, the designer opened his first store in London.

In connection with the entry of the brand on the world market, he began to confirm the authenticity of his products with the inscription “marque L. Vuitton deposee”.

In 1888, the company employed 30 people.

In 1890, Vuitton introduced the tumbler lock, which essentially turned his creations into safes. He designed each lock with a unique key and number, and even publicly challenged Houdini to open one of them.

In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, leaving his empire to his son Georges Vuitton (pictured below).

Louis Vuitton after the death of the creator

In 1895, the company's designers, led by Georges Vuitton, developed the legendary monogrammed canvas that was very difficult to copy. Georges created a new motif, which consisted of a beige circle containing a four-leafed flower, a curved beige diamond with a four-pointed star and a dot in the center, the initials "LV" in memory of his father. The image was patented and later became the Louis Vuitton trademark. Thanks to this, the percentage of counterfeits of Louis Vuitton products has significantly decreased in the world.

The monogram used the architectural detail of the Doge's Palace in Venice.

Over the years, Georges has been promoting Louis Vuitton products on the international market, traveling extensively and constantly moving from country to country. Soon, Louis Vuitton stores appeared in New York, Bombay, London, Washington, Alexandria and Buenos Aires.

Louis Vuitton in the twentieth century

In 1914, the Louis Vuitton boutique was opened on the Champs Elysees in Paris, which became the largest store in the city.

In the 1920s, the brand first launched Heures d'Absence ’,‘ Je, Tu, Il ’

In the first half of the 20th century, Witton produced bags of various shapes, which later became legends.

The Steamer bag was released in 1901.

Transformations of the Steamer bag in later years.

In 1925, the Squire Bag was created by order of Coco Chanel. The Squire Bag was released to mass sales in 1934.

In 1955, the Squire Bag underwent a transformation and was renamed the Champs-Elysees bag. And in 1992 the Champs-Elysees bag underwent another transformation and was renamed the Alma bag. Alma is a word taken from the famous Place de l "Alma (Alma Square), located in the heart of Paris, near the Seine.

In 1930, the Keepall suitcase was released, which became one of the most popular Vuitton bags, symbolizing a new kind of travel bag.

In 1932, the Noè bag was released. The bag was originally designed at the request of the champagne manufacturer. He needed a bag in which he could carry up to five bottles at a time. And it can still hold these five bottles.

Audrey Hepburn asked Vuitton to convert the Keepall large travel bag into something smaller that she could carry all the time, and the Speedy bag was released in 1965.

In 1966, the Papillon bag came out.

Let's go back to the history of Louis Vuitton.

In 1936, Georges Vuitton passed away, and the management of Louis Vuitton completely passed into the hands of his son Gaston-Louis Vuitton (pictured below).

Gaston-Louis began to use more pliable types of leather for bags and leather goods. Moreover, the specificity of some types of leather is such that during use the leather changes its shades, but does not change its qualities and aesthetic properties. For example, the skin starts out with a light tone and gradually darkens over time, resulting in a rich caramel or amber hue.

During World War II, the Louis Vuitton brand supported the Nazis by hanging a sign on the door: « There is no entrance with dogs. No entrance to Jews » ... They tried to quickly forget this shameful page in the history of the brand.

Since 1945, Louis Vuitton has been introducing leather into most of his product lines, from large luggage to clutches.

In 1977, Gaston-Louis Vuitton dies and the company is headed by his son-in-law, Henri Racamier, a steel magnate who entered the Vitton clan by marrying one of the daughters of Gaston-Louis Vuitton.

The 1970s were a period of relaunch and rapid development for Louis Vuitton. The house grew in the early 70s from two exclusive stores and € 11 million in sales revenue to 125 stores generating € 600 million by 1989.

In 1978 the famous photographer Jean Lariviere began to collaborate with Louis Vuitton.

For over 30 years, Jean Lariviere has traveled all over the world creating advertising campaigns for the brand.

In 1978, the first Louis Vuitton boutique was opened in Japan.

From that moment on, the brand began to expand its influence in Asia. Later, branded boutiques were opened in Taiwan (1983) and South Korea (1984).

In 1987, the Louis Vuitton brand became part of the LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) holding, which is one of the world's largest luxury goods manufacturers.

In 1989, Louis Vuitton had one hundred and thirty boutiques around the world.

In the early 1990s, Yves Carcel was appointed President of the Fashion House. In 1992, the first Vuitton boutique was opened in Beijing.

In 1996, Louis Vuitton celebrated the 100th anniversary of its signature invention, the Monogram Canvas.

New history of the Fashion House

In 1997, Marc Jacobs became the artistic director of Louis Vuitton.

Thanks to the work of the designer, the company in March 1998 released the first women's and men's collections of the prеt-а-porter class: clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry.

The collection included trouser suits, original knee-length and ankle-length skirts, satin double-breasted coats, laconic pullovers. With the arrival of Marc Jacobs, the Fashion House also began to produce men's collections, shoes, accessories, and jewelry.

Up to this point, Louis Vuitton was exclusively engaged in the production of bags and suitcases. The designer involved many famous artists to collaborate on the collections: Stefan Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince.

Marc Jacobs suggested decorating not only bags and suitcases with the LV brand name, but also fabrics, thus initiating a new boom in logomania.

In 1998, the Fashion House began publishing the Louis Vuitton City Guide to the most interesting places on the planet.

In 1999, the first Louis Vuitton boutique opened in Marrakech, Morocco.

The latest developments in the 20th century were the release of the mini-monogrammed line in 1999, and the auction at the Venice International Film Festival, Italy, at which the AmFAR case, designed by Sharon Stone, was sold for $ 45,000 and the proceeds the money went to the AIDS Research Foundation.

For the Louis Vuitton Spring / Summer 2000 collection, Jacobs offered simple straight trousers with arrows in light wool, decorated with many pockets with beaded embroidery. His 'magical' 1960s lace prints became a trend, transforming low-key office wear into sexy outfits.

In 2001, Stephen Sprouse collaborated with Marc Jacobs to develop a limited edition line of Vuitton handbags with graffiti print.

The Louis Vuitton men's fall-winter 2001/2002 collection further departed from the usual trends, as Jacobs refused to use the military style, which was very popular at that time. Instead, he came up with the image of a neo-romantic gentleman dressed in black leather coats with red buttonholes or in bold striped shirts worn under closed jersey jackets.

The Louis Vuitton Fall / Winter 2001/2002 women's collection was "a clear improvement", as Dana Thomas wrote on one of the fashion portals. This collection was reminiscent of Jacqueline Kennedy and her unique style. Jacobs chose materials such as cotton, tweed, silk and yarn. The finishing touches, which shocked the audience, were mink trim, metal rivets and sexy leather lace-up boots.

In 2003, together with Takashi Murakami, a new monogram technology "Multicolore" was developed, which was used to create a limited collection of bags.

In the same year, Louis Vuitton brand boutiques were opened in the capitals of Russia and India.

By 2004, with the arrival of Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton's profits had tripled.

In 2005, Louis Vuitton celebrated its 115th anniversary. In honor of this momentous event, new boutiques were opened in Sao Paulo, New York, Shanghai and Johannesburg.

By 2005, Louis Vuitton reopened a store on the Champs Elysees in Paris, designed by American architect Eric Carlson, and launched the Speedy watch collection.

In 2008, Louis Vuitton launched the new Damier Graphite canvas. The canvas mimics the classic Damier design, but in black and gray for a masculine and urban look.

Also in 2008, he collaborated with Pharrell Williams to design a line of jewelry ("Blason") and glasses for Louis Vuitton.

In 2009, Louis Vuitton created a capsule luggage collection consisting of two cases and a travel suitcase for the new Infiniti Essence concept car.

In the same year, the Fashion House, in collaboration with the Spanish actress Rossi de Palma, prepared a limited collection of fans. The cost of the accessory was about $ 400. The proceeds from the sale were donated to OrphanAid Africa, a charity that supports orphans in African countries.

In 2009, Louis Vuitton introduced the unique Desert Breakfast suitcase, with built-in drawers and shelves. According to the developers, the travel case can hold a TV, computer, coffee machine and DVD player, etc. The suitcase was equipped with a built-in solar battery.

In 2009, the legendary astronauts became the faces of the Louis Vuitton advertising campaign: Buzz Aldrin, who made the first ever landing on the moon, Sally Ride, the first American to fly to the moon, and James Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 crew. A Louis Vuitton Icare bag model also appeared in the frame. Annie Leibovitz's photo session was dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the conquest of the moon by man. Filming took place in the California desert.

In 2009, Kanye West created a limited edition men's and women's sneaker for Louis Vuitton.

In the same year, the Fashion House published the book Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture. It told about the brand's collaborations throughout the history of its existence. The book cover was designed by artist Takashi Murakami. The edition was available in English, French and Italian. The cost of the book was $ 130.

In 2009, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross, Louis Vuitton created a collection of first aid kits in the form of suitcases with built-in drawers for storing medicines. The original case was decorated with a red cross. The first aid kit was also put up for auction at Sotheby’s.

In 2010, Louis Vuitton released a limited collection of bags that imitate the surface of a soccer ball.

In the same year, the Fashion House created a $ 240 collection of iPad cases.

In May 2010, ahead of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Louis Vuitton launched an ad campaign featuring Pele, Zidane and Maradona. Annie Leibovitz captures the legendary table football players.

In the same year, Louis Vuitton created the FIFA Cup storage bag.

In 2010, research agency Milward Brown Optimor published a list of the 10 most valuable brands in the luxury segment. The first line of this rating was taken by Louis Vuitton. In 2010, the Fashion House put up 20 vintage suitcases for Cristie's auction. The listed prices for the items ranged from £ 400 to £ 4,000.

In early 2011, Louis Vuitton hired Kim Jones. He became a leading menswear designer under the corporate direction of Marc Jacobs.

In 2011, Rizzoli published the book Louis Vuitton: Architecture and Interiors commissioned by Louis Vuitton. It featured about 300 photographs, sketches, models of buildings and interiors of the Fashion House stores located in various cities of the world. The book featured interviews with architects Jun Aoki, Peter Marino and Christian de Portzamparc. The edition was presented in slipcase and regular hardcover.

In 2012, Marc Jacobs and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama created a capsule collection of womenswear and accessories for Louis Vuitton with a bright pea print.

In 2013, Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppolla created the Louis Vuitton SC bag in two sizes. The accessories were presented at the Parisian department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche.

In October 2013, Marc Jacobs stepped down as Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. After the show of the spring-summer collection of the brand, Bernard Arnault and Marc Jacobs announced that they would not renew the contract, which expires in 2014. The designer stressed that he plans to focus on working on his own brand - Marc Jacobs.

In 2013, the world famous musician David Bowie became the new face of the Louis Vuitton brand. Together with Arizona Muse, he starred in an advertising campaign called L'Invitation au Voyage, presenting the Tambour watch.

In January 2014, Julie de Libran, Louis Vuitton's Women's Design Director, stepped down from her post. For five years, under the guidance of Marc Jacobs, Libran has been designing clothes and accessories for the off-season collections: Pre-Fall and Resort.

In 2014, Louis Vuitton's third collaboration with street artists took place. This time they were the Frenchman Andre Saraiva, the American Kenny Scharf and the Chilean Inti. The artists have created a collection of Foulards D'Artistes III scarves for the brand.

Kenny Scharf adorned his creation with a bright psychedelic print in the form of astronomical images and symbols of pop culture.

The background of Andre Saraiva's scarf is a pattern in the form of spots of paint and the character of Mr A, a blue figure with asymmetrical eyes.

On the square of Inti, the sun was depicted based on the image of the god Viracocha of the Tiwanaku civilization. The Chilean artist painted his pattern in warm orange and gold tones and framed it with a red frame decorated with ancient symbols.

Louis Vuitton's motto: "Each suitcase should combine high mobility and lightness";

The firm is famous for its constant fight against counterfeit products, and many of the company's lawsuits have been widely disseminated to the public. Examples include the lawsuits against Britney Spears, Sony BMG and MTV Online. The singer was found guilty of violating the trademark falsification law in the clip "Do Something", which featured a dashboard upholstered in pink Louis Vuitton-branded material. And TV moguls Sony BMG and MTV Online had to pay the brand $ 80,000 for the broadcast of this clip;

The technology for the production of travel bags and suitcases has not changed since the time when Louis Vuitton opened his company. The body of the bag is made of poplar, and the upholstery is exclusively from Monogram canvas. In addition, there are special corner protectors and unique locks that are an integral part of all Louis Vuitton luggage accessories and suitcases;

Louis Vuitton has an additional specialty workshop located in Asnieres, in the Hauts-de-Seine department;

For the manufacture of bags, Louis Vuitton uses not only leather, but also fabrics. Especially known are fabric with red-beige stripes, checked fabric and monogram fabric in several color combinations;

Monogram fabric has been the symbol of Louis Vuitton since 1896. Currently, there are new versions of monogram fabrics: the most famous of them is colored, fantasy and avant-garde in 33 colors, as well as in patent leather and denim.

The Louis Vuitton Group sponsors a number of major sporting events. An example of this is the Louis Vuitton Cup, a sailing regatta that was a qualifying round for the America's Cup, the world's most prestigious sailing trophy. The Louis Vuitton Group sponsored these competitions for a quarter of a century, from 1983 to 2007.

Today, there are more than 350 Louis Vuitton boutiques around the world;

Louis Vuitton's most famous flagship boutique is located on the Champs Elysees in Paris, selling all of the brand's lines spread over seven levels of the building.

Louis vuitton
Base 1854
Founders Louis Vuitton
Location France France: Paris
Key figures Nicolas Ghesquière (creative director)
Industry garment industry
Parent company LVMH
Site www.louisvuitton.com
Louis Vuitton at Wikimedia Commons

Founder of the company Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton also invented a round chauffeur bag (which was placed in the spare wheel opening), a non-sinking air cushion suitcase, and a secretary case that could be used as a writing desk.

His fame as a master of making suitcases grew, which was greatly facilitated by Empress Eugenia, wife of Napoleon III.

Continuation of the family business

The children continued their father's work. Georges Vuitton took over the company in 1892. It was he who developed the brand's monogram: a flower with four petals placed in a circle, a rhombus with a four-pointed star, the same negative star and the initials LV. Georges Vuitton also created the first bag of this brand that travelers carried with them. She suddenly became a light canvas bag, originally intended for storing dirty laundry in a suitcase.

Since 1936, the firm was headed by Gaston Louis Vuitton, then the management passed to his daughter Odile.

International holding LVMH

Today the Louis Vuitton brand is represented by Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM). Until 1987, this company was a subsidiary of the Louis Vuitton SA holding, which includes other trading houses, for example, "Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin". The Louis Vuitton Group is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

In 1987, the group merged with another luxury wine and spirits player, Moët Hennessy.

In 1989, one of its main shareholders, the French multimillionaire Bernard Arnault, gained control over the company.

Enterprise traditions

Handbags

The Louis Vuitton motto is: "Every suitcase must combine high mobility and lightness."

The house has an additional workshop, specializing in special orders, located in Asnieres, in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

For the manufacture of bags, Louis Vuitton uses not only leather, but also fabrics. Especially known are fabrics with red and beige stripes, fabrics in plaid and monogram fabrics (with the brand's logo) in several color combinations.

The symbol of the Louis Vuitton house since 1896 is monogram fabric. Currently, there are new versions of this fabric: the most famous of them is colored, fantasy and avant-garde in thirty-three colors, but only in patent leather and denim.

Architecture

Architecture is also a family tradition. In 1912, Louis Vuitton's son built in the heart of Paris, on the Champs Elysees, a beautiful Art Nouveau building (fr. art nouveau). Then, after entering the international market, the brand opened stores in London, New York and Tokyo, the architectural appearance of which is paid a lot of attention.

Louis Vuitton and sports

The Louis Vuitton Group sponsors a number of major sporting events. An example of this is

Louis Vuitton (in Russian transcription is rendered as Louis Vuitton) is a French fashion house specializing in the production of suitcases and bags, fashionable clothes, perfumes and luxury accessories under the brand of the same name. The company is currently part of the international holding LVMH.

Louis Vuitton is one of the oldest fashion houses in Europe. Its history began in the middle of the 19th century, in 1854. Its future founder, Louis Vuitton (1821-1892), was born in France, in the canton of Jura, from where he moved to Paris in 1835. Rather, he “crossed over” - after all, he covered the 400-kilometer distance from his hometown to the capital on foot, earning money on the way on all sorts of auxiliary jobs to pay for his trip. Once in Paris, the young man becomes a carpenter's apprentice who made chests, and, apparently, the apprenticeship was not in vain - Louis Vuitton's chests were in demand among the Parisian nobility, he even became the personal carpenter of Empress Eugenie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. Dating in the circles of the French nobility allowed him to fully reveal his ideas about things that make any trip more convenient - and in 1854 Louis Vuitton opens his own workshop in Paris, on the Rue Neuve des Capucines (even the French philosopher-encyclopedist mentioned this workshop Denis Diderot).

In 1858, Louis Vuitton presented his new creation to the public - a side-opening flat suitcase, light and airtight. This invention made a real revolution - before it, suitcases were round in shape, opening on top, and it was not possible to store them in stacks during transportation - and Vuitton's suitcases could simply be folded one on top of the other and taken to even the end of the world.

It was after this invention that the house of Louis Vuitton began to develop and gain popularity, and competitors tried to copy every new product of the master - precisely to prevent copying the appearance of LV suitcases in 1876, their design changed to beige and brown, in colors that we are used to seeing today.

In 1888, suitcases began to be sheathed with a fabric with a checkered pattern and the inscription "marque L. Vuitton déposée, but the usual pattern from LV monograms appeared on suitcases even later - in 1896, after the death of the company's founder, when the company had already passed under the control of his son Louis - Georges Vuitton.

After the death of his father, Georges Vuitton began to transform the company into an international corporation, taking an active part in exhibitions around the world, patented the monogram fabric (which, in addition to the LV monogram, contained geometric floral motifs traditional for the Victorian era).

In 1901, the company introduced the Steamer bag, designed to store all sorts of small things inside large luggage.

In 1914, the Louis Vuitton Building brand store opened on the Champs Elysees - in those years it became the largest luggage and travel goods store in the world. Before World War I, stores opened in London, Bombay, Washington, New York, Alexandria and Buenos Aires.

In 1932, the first Speedy was born. This model was so liked by women that it is made and sold even today, observing all the technologies.

After the death of Georges Vuitton in 1936, his son, Gaston Louis Vuitton, took over the company. It was under his leadership that the company expanded its assortment, applying the branded canvas with monograms on everything that only related to luggage and bags - from wallets and wallets to the largest suitcases.

The history of the company during the Second World War is full of secrets and omissions; the official biography simply omits this period. According to some sources, the family company at this time more than actively supported the puppet government of Marshal Philippe Petain established by Germany, and collaborated with Germany.

After the war, it took the company several years to forget the past and regain its former positions. In 1966, the Papillon bag (a cylindrical bag still popular today) was introduced, and in 1977 two Louis Vuitton stores brought in $ 10 million in profits. A year later, in 1978, the first store opened in Japan, and since the mid-1980s, the company has expanded its presence to Taiwan and South Korea.

In 1983, Louis Vuitton teamed up with the America's Cup to create the Louis Vuitton Cup, a prestigious cup that lasted until 2007.

In 1987, the two largest luxury manufacturers merged, Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy. The company continued to develop successfully. She, as before, was engaged in the production of luxury bags and suitcases. At the time of 1989, 130 brand stores had already been opened in the world.

In 1989, the Louis Vuitton chain had 130 stores. In the early 1990s, the company was headed by Yves Carcelle. Under him, the company entered the Chinese market, introduced the Taiga collection and released a collection of literature and fountain pens.

In 1997, Marc Jacobs became the art director of the House of Louis Vuitton, and it was his merit that in 1998 LV released the first pret-a-porter line, which included men's and women's clothing, jewelry, footwear , watch.

In 2001, exclusive lines of bags appeared (designed by Marc Jacobs and Stephen Sprouse, offered only to VIP clients of the company. In 2003, Takashi Murakami) presents a new collection of bags in which stores open in Moscow and New Delhi, New York, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Shanghai, and in 2005 the famous Louis Vuitton store on the Champs Elysees, from which the history of the company began, reopened.

In 2002, the Tambour watch collection was presented. During this year, the LV building was opened in Tokyo's Ginza district.

In 2003, Takashi Murakami collaborated with Marc Jacobs to develop the new Monogram Multicolore collection of bags and accessories. This range includes monograms of the standard Monogram canvas, but in 33 different colors on a white or black background. (On classic canvas, gold monograms on a brown background.) Murakami also created the Cherry Blossom drawing, in which smiling cartoon faces in the midst of pink and yellow flowers were occasionally placed on a Monogram canvas. This template appeared on a limited number of items. This limited edition was discontinued in June 2003. During 2003, stores were opened in Moscow, Russia and New Delhi (India).

In 2004, the Louis Vuitton brand celebrated its 150th anniversary. New stores were opened in New York (on Fifth Avenue), Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Cancun and Johannesburg. In addition, the first global store opened in Shanghai this year.

In 2008, Louis Vuitton launched the Damier Graphite canvas. The canvas has the classic Damier pattern, but in black and gray, giving it a masculine look. Also in 2008, he collaborated with Pharrell Williams to design a series of jewelry (Blason) and glasses for Louis Vuitton.

In 2010, Louis Vuitton opened a store in London, calling it their most luxurious store.

On November 4, 2013, the company confirmed that Nicholas Ghesquière had been hired to replace Marc Jacobs as artistic director of the women's collections. The first Ghesquière line was shown in Paris in March 2014.

On March 26, 2018, Virgil Abloh was named artistic director of the menswear business - the label's first African-American artistic director and one of the few African-American designers for a major European fashion house. His debut show took place at Paris Fashion Week 2018 in the historic courtyard of the Palais-Royal.

LOUIS VUITTON

The history of the Louis Vuitton brand, which has become synonymous with the word "travel", began with the journey of its founder Louis Vuitton. In 1835, the fourteen-year-old carpenter set out on foot from the small French village of Anchet for Paris.

There he became an apprentice to the then famous manufacturer of travel suitcases - Monsieur Marechal. As people began to travel more with the development of various modes of transport, trains and steamships, and then cars and airplanes, this profession proved to be very profitable, and in 1954 Vuitton already had enough clients to start his own business.

In the world of travel bags, Louis Vuitton is known as a real inventor. It replaces the vaulted lid of the travel chest, to which they were very accustomed to this time, a more comfortable flat, upholstery it with a waterproof canvas and adds special compartments for fans, gloves and other accessories. He also invented a port suite in which suits can be transported without risking wrinkling and a combination lock on a suitcase and much more. Customers were the owners of steamships, newspapers, factories and other aristocrats. Closer to the 60s and 70s, film and television stars became clients of Louis Vuitton.

Since 1896, all the products of the brand began to be decorated with the trademark - the emblem with the initials LV, now known all over the world. This monogram was invented by Louis' son, Georges, in order to protect himself and his products from counterfeiting. However, the problem of combating pirated products is an acute problem for the company to this day.

Nevertheless, the brand soon conquered all continents, the Vuitton family opened boutiques in Europe, America, Asia. Now the company owns 380 stores in fifty-three countries of the world, under this brand lines of watches and shoes, as well as a line of jewelry are released.

The manufacturing technology of Louis Vuitton products has not undergone any significant changes over 150 years, more than half of the operations are performed manually. Throughout their history, the Vuittons have tried their skill in the production of various products from bicycles to beds. However, this product was not in demand. The rapidly entering fashion for travel prompted new directions in production. And now, in addition to suitcases, travel bags, bags and handbags, most of the company's products are occupied by various cases, covers, or so-called special purpose luggage.

Lous Vuitton products are never discounted. The old collection, which cannot be sold, is burned, and a new one takes its place in order to wait for its buyer as long as it takes.

Louis Vuitton was born on August 4, 1821 in the French town of Jura, which is located in the east of France. Even as a child, the boy Louis learned well how to handle the tools of his father, who worked as a carpenter in one of the shops in the city. At the age of fourteen, Louis Vuitton, in search of himself and his place in life, goes to Paris, which is located 400 kilometers from the Jura. The young master covers the entire path on foot.

In 1837, the young Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris and became an apprentice to the master of making chests - Monsieur Marechal. Thanks to his skills and talents, Louis quickly learned the technique of making travel suitcases. And soon his name was already heard by the French bohemia and the upper strata of society. Louis Vuitton made his original models of bags using striped dense fabric. Due to the quality of finishes and expensive materials, suitcases from Vuitton were very popular with wealthy Madame and Monsieur.

In 1854, Louis Vuitton opened his first store "Louis Vuitton: Malletier a Paris" (French: "Louis Vuitton: Leather suitcases of Paris") on the rue Neuve des Capucines ("Workshop on the New Rue Nasturtius") in Paris on the Champs Elysees. Moreover, traces of this store have survived there to this day. On the pediment of the house there is an inscription: "Louis Vuitton, manufacture of suitcases, Parisian trading house, founded in 1854".

Vitton's success overtook literally immediately: his main client was the wife of Napoleon III - Empress Eugene de Montijo. By the way, at that time "Louis Vuitton" suitcases were made exclusively for the elite.

In 1858, Louis introduced a novelty - a flat suitcase called "Trianon". A distinctive feature of the suitcase, which set it apart from all other models, was its shape. Up to this point, all suitcases were produced with a convex lid, which made it difficult to transport them, since it was inconvenient to fold them.

In 1867, the products of the fashion house "Louis Vuitton" were exhibited as exhibits at a special exhibition in Paris. It was then that many luggage manufacturers began to massively copy the Louis Vuitton flat suitcases. In order to protect his name from counterfeiting, Vuitton developed a brown square fabric - Damier Canvas - which is still considered the brand's symbol today.

In 1885, Louis Vuitton opened its first store in London on the famous Oxford Street. Entering the world stage, Vuitton began to mark each of his products with the inscription: "marque L. Vuitton deposee" (Louis Vuitton brand), which was a guarantee of the authenticity of the product.

In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, leaving his empire to his son Georges Vuitton, who invented the famous "LV" monogrammed fabric.

In 1895, the company's designers, led by Georges Vuitton, developed the legendary monogrammed canvas that was very difficult to copy. Georges created a new motif, which consisted of: a beige circle containing a four-leafed flower; a curved beige rhombus containing a four-pointed star with a dot in the center; and the initials "LV", in memory of his father. It was patented and subsequently became the trademark of Louis Vuitton products. Thanks to this, the percentage of counterfeit products of this brand has significantly decreased in the world.


Over the years, Georges has been promoting Louis Vuitton products to international markets, traveling extensively and constantly moving from country to country. Soon, Louis Vuitton stores appeared in New York, Bombay, London, Washington, Alexandria and Buenos Aires.

And in 1914, on the Champs Elysees in Paris, the largest boutique in the city at that time, which belonged to Louis Vuitton, was opened.

In 1936 Georges Vuitton passed away, management of "Louis Vuitton" completely passed into the hands of his son Gaston-Louis Vuitton.

During World War II, the Louis Vuitton trademark supported the Nazis by hanging a sign on the door: "No entrance with dogs. No entrance for Jews." However, this shameful page in the history of the brand after the war was quickly turned over and forgotten.

In 1959, it was decided to change the famous monogram to a simpler one. This was done in order to apply it not only to large, but also to smaller objects, such as accessories.

In 1987, the Louis Vuitton brand became part of the LVMH holding, which is one of the world's largest producers of luxury goods, champagne and cognac.

Already in 1989, the Louis Vuitton company had one hundred and thirty boutiques around the world.

In the early 1990s. Yves Caselle was appointed president of the fashion house, and in 1992 the first brand boutique was opened in China.

In 1996, the Louis Vuitton brand celebrated the centenary of its signature invention, the Monogram Canvas.

In 1997, Marc Jacobs became the artistic director of Louis Vuitton. Thanks to the work of this talented designer, the company has released the first “prêt-a-porter” collections for women and men: clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry (until that moment, Louis Vuitton was engaged in the production of only bags and suitcases). At the same time, the fashion designer successfully attracts many famous artists to collaborate on collections.

In 2003, together with Takashi Murakami, a new monogram technology "Multicolore" was developed, which was used exclusively for the limited collection. In the same year, Louis Vuitton brand boutiques were opened in the capitals of Russia and India.

In 2005, Louis Vuitton celebrated its 115th anniversary. In honor of this landmark event, new boutiques have opened in cities such as Sao Paulo, New York, Shanghai and Johannesburg.

The fashion house "Louis Vuitton" regularly releases women's and men's clothing collections, but the company focuses on its travel bags and suitcases.

The most famous flagship boutique, Louis Vuitton, is located on the Champs Elysees in Paris and sells all of the brand's lines, distributed over seven levels of the building.

Today "Louis Vuitton" is the largest luxury goods company in the world, bringing together the most prominent brands in the field of fine wines, spirits, perfumery and cosmetics, watches and jewelry, fashion clothes and leather goods. "Louis Vuitton" is a world famous brand, primarily due to the highest quality of its products.