Louis Vuitton, the saga of the LV monogram
Louis Vuitton was born in 1821, in Chabouilla, a small village of 150 souls in the Jura. At 16, without a penny in his pocket, he went to Paris on foot to try his luck, he became a trolley apprentice in a small factory where his job is to pack the luggage of wealthy people.
With the development of transport, tourism is booming. He understands that the upper classes and aristocrats need innovative and lightweight luggage. In 1852, her know-how is noticed by the Empress Eugenie whose baggage he packs, it is she who will make it known to the aristocracy of the time.
"Luxury, functionality, innovation", the baggage revolution.
Louis Vuitton wants to pack the most luxurious and practical accessory. He abandons the old-fashioned concept of chests and invents the flat trunk with Vuitton cuffs: practical, chic, resistant and stackable, it revolutionizes the transport of trunks of the time that had a round lid.
His first store, he created in 1854, rue Neuve Capucines near the Place Vendome in Paris. The workshop is based in Asnières-sur-Seine, where it employs about twenty employees.
In the 1850s, Louis Vuitton opts for a canvas glued to wood, color "gray Trianon", it is lighter than leather and becomes completely waterproof once varnished.
In 1889, when the first counterfeits appeared on the market, he created a new checkerboard fabric with the inscription "Brand Louis Vuitton "In 1896, his son George takes over, his stroke of genius: the famous monogram canvas (leather and canvas) LV that will symbolize the brand: both solid and flexible, it is completely waterproof. 'is recently declined multicolor version, patent leather and even jeans.
In 1896, his son Georges, to fight against the copies, signs the monogram LV and creates drawings on the canvas whose source of inspiration is still unknown. In the 1950s, Gaston-Louis Vuitton developed a new canvas made of linen, cotton and PVC that could be used for soft luggage and created a brand new canvas with huge commercial success: sales of the house are boosted and the brand becomes synonymous with modern luxury.
In 1977, the brand became a multinational thanks to Odile Vuitton, one of Gaston-Louis' daughters. In 1989, Bernard Arnault took advantage of a disagreement within the family to take control of the company, the group then diversifies its production by developing the lines of accessories, shoes, watches ...
With the LVMH group, the Vuitton house is gaining prestige and calling on renowned artists for its collections. Big stars have also lent their image to the brand: from Jennifer Lopez to Madonna via Sean Connery or lately Audrey Tautou ...
Marc Jacobs, artistic director of the brand, has been working since 1990 to consolidate the influence of Louis Vuitton internationally. He creates the varnished monogram and the graffiti in 2001.
Louis Vuitton embodies luxury and prestigious leather goods worldwide. Today, there are more than 300 boutiques of the brand in the world, its turnover would exceed 3 billion euros! A record for a luxury home.
