Imagine being a 13-year-old boy from France who ran away from home in search of work, to survive in this unknown world. Then went on to build a brand which in the next 200 years would become one of the best elite luxury brands of all time.
Louis Vuitton, a luxury brand based in Paris, France was started by Louis Vuitton who produced leather goods trucks, accessories and clothing.
This brand started as a canvas leather truck-making company for the aristocrats and then grew to produce more leather goods. It tackled all trials and tribulations through the journey, from world wars and political turmoils to changing socioeconomic and psychological aspects.
Really! Louis Vuitton’s story and journey from a teenage boy to adulthood still make people tickle their brains, contemplating what he did differently. Let’s find out how Louis Vuitton survived decade after decade still sustaining its signature magic, and emerging as a luxury Mogul in the modern era.
NOT A FASHION BRAND: But a Leather Goods Company
Did you know that Louis Vuitton was solely a luxury leather goods company? It was never known for its couture, ensembles and exquisite fashion shows and designers. It has its fair share of evolutions with fast-changing times.
It all started with an exhibition, creative minds were invited from all across the globe to exhibit their innovations on the brand’s 100th Anniversary, commissioned by Georges Vuitton, Louis Vuitton’s son.
Each Designer created their unique creation and showcased it at the historical event.
Helmet Lang designed a vinyl bag.
Sybila created a Backpack with an umbrella.
Romeo Gigli designed a hiking bag.
- Manalo Blahnik came up with a shoe trunk.
- Weekend bag by Isaac Mizhari
- A Bustling Bag by Viviene Westwood
This event was designed to attract fashion fanatics worldwide, especially customers with deep pockets willing to spend their fortune. LMVH grabbed this opportunity and appointed the very first designer of the house, Marc Jacobs. He will rule the Luxury house for one and a half decades and take the world by storm.
OUT OF THE BOX: FLAT TOPS TRUNKS
You might wonder, how Vuitton thought of such a unique design. Flat tops instead of the former designs like the round top trunks? It was more of a convenience and a necessity which compelled him to invent a trunk we now know as the famous flat trunks.
Imagine this- it is 19th-century France, and automobiles have yet to be invented. In the time of horse and carriage riding and ships being the only mode of transportation, your family decides to travel the country with multiple heavy round-top trunks, full of beautiful dresses and valuables.
It’s not a stretch you are travelling, what could go wrong? What‘s supposed to be a comfortable ride, turns into a total disaster. Your trunks are not stackable, your valuables ended up damaged because of the mishandling. In the worst scenario, your things are stolen. The reason? poor locking system.
Vuitton understood this drawback and solved the generation’s problem with one solution. He created lightweight trunks with flat tops in 1858. A one-of-a-kind trunk that revolutionised his brand. Now it was possible to travel with loads of Louis Vuitton trunks without being damaged and the best part was they could be stacked- one on top of another.
After opening his headquarters, she recruited him as her trunkmaker and packer. It was a huge milestone in his career, he went from a skilled trunkmaker to becoming a personal trunkmaker for the Queen. Talk about climbing a ladder!
ORDERS FROM THE ROYAL HAREM
By 1859 Louis Vuitton’s skills became the talk of the town, and many elites approached him to build custom trunks and boxes. After working as an apprentice Vuitton finally opened his workshop at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near Vendome.
As the masses admired the flat-top trunks, words about the talented young trunkmaker spread around the town. He was noticed by the Queen herself, Queen Eugenie de Montijo.
And when a Queen starts a trend the kingdom follows. Vuitton attracted many royal customers with the Queen of France by his side. The Queen’s ladies and other aristocrats recruited Vuitton for their custom trunks.
He expanded his business near and around Paris, making a name for himself. His flat-top trunks are still seen in the brand’s newer designs today.
COPYCATS LED TO INNOVATION
While running a business, you ensure that every product you sell is made with the best quality material. You recruit your best team to assemble your product with utmost care and precision for your customers to enjoy. Then it comes to your knowledge that some other brand sells your design using cheap material. What will you do?
After Louis Vuitton passed away in 1892 his son Georges Vuitton took over the brand. He resolved the problems of knock-offs and copies of the trunks.
As the sales doubled the house dealt with imitations. Seeing the popularity of the flat top trunks, other business owners manufactured similar and cheaper counterfeit of the original trunks with similar brown and beige Damier pattern trunks.
Customers needed clarification, as they could not differentiate between the original and the knock-offs and often bought the cheaper quality which got damaged easily.
A LOCK THAT CAN NOT BE TAMED
The increase in travel meant more safety. Those days people travelled by trains and ships, their unprotected baggage attracted many thieves and people saw the need to protect their precious belongings from being stolen.
Keeping that in mind, Vuitton and his son Georges knew it was essential to make a locking system impenetrable by an external force. After years of testing, travelling, and experimenting, they made the tumbler lock for the steamer trunks to give a sense of security to their customer while travelling.
Georges Vuitton claimed it to be unpickable. He even challenged Houdini, an escape artist and an illusionist to open the lock inside the trunk. He didn’t take the challenge, which resulted in a notable appreciation for the brand.
By 1901 they developed Padlocks, a newer, smaller travel-friendly lock with numbers and subsequent keys. The purpose was simple, the locks provide safety and security.
Like many of the previous Louis Vuitton products, these locks were too designed for their purpose and requirement of that time, it was well-loved by the masses and later manufactured in many copies.
Today, the padlocks are remodelled in miniature sizes, made into accessories such as bracelets, pendants and necklaces, and attached to various new handbags.
STRING OF VINTAGE BAGS
Do you want a Louis Vuitton Bag in my closet? Holding your LV bag can feather your pride as if you are part of the elite society. Louis Vuitton has produced some of the most coveted handbags. They are such beautiful classic pieces that many Hollywood stars, fashion icons and celebrities wait for the newest collection to hit the runway. Let’s talk about some of the famous handbags by Louis Vuitton.
The KEEPALL is the flexible version of the elaborate trunks. It’s a comfortable foldable leisure bag for personal use, easier for travellers to carry. Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn first requested a further miniature version of the Speedy, compatible with her daily travel essentials known as the Speedy 25
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Another classic bag of the French house is the ALMA. It is inspired by the structure and silhouette of the Alma Bridge in Paris. It is an exquisitely sleek bag first commissioned by the French fashion designer Coco Chanel. With Chanel’s permission, the Alma was released to the public.
- Louis Vuitton NOE is one of the oldest bags designed by the founder’s grandson Gaston Louis Vuitton, originally made for a Parisian winemaker who wanted a bag that was strong enough to carry wine bottles and crystals in picnics without breakage and damage. The design was such that the base of the bag was made of strong cowhide leather, capable of carrying heavy objects. The mouth of the bag was attached with drawstrings to keep the necks of the bottles together.
- The bag that was truly NEVERFULL was introduced in 2007, it has a big spacious tote bag-like structure. Produced in three different sizes, this bag could accommodate countless items and still be voluminous. The Neverfull is one of the most popular bags of Louis Vuitton in modern times. It is many celebrities and supermodels’ go-to bag. It is a classic day bag with thin shoulder straps capable of carrying objects with delicate straps.
- MONTAIGNE was introduced in 2011, a sleek and smart-looking handbag designed by the brand, dedicated to modern women. The Montaigne is as smart as it looks named after the famous fashion street in Paris. This star can be carried in a conference room to a dinner party or a walk across a museum
A NEW AGE OF INNOVATORS
It is hard to believe that a brand like Louis Vuitton which has been in existence since the 19th century, presented its very first collection in 1998. LVMH owned by Arnault Bernier felt the need to jump into the fashion industry, like the businessman he is, witnessing the brand’s strong competitor already making a mark in the fashion industry.
Each creative director and designer of the house brought something new to the table with their unique style ideologies and stories. Let’s shed some light on these stars:
- Marc Jacobs became the first ever artistic director of the house. Under his creative guidance, Louis Vuitton reached its great heights, considerably changing the fashion industry. His contribution to the brand was unprecedented.
Marc Jacobs collaborated with artists such as Stephan Sprouse. His Sprouse graffiti with loud neon shades ‘LOUIS VUITTON PARIS ‘ prints have left the fashion world in awe. Re-imagined and innovated in many LV products in handbags, accessories and clothing.
After Sprouse’s death, Jacobs honoured the artist by dedicating his collections with limited editions of Sprouse graffiti designs. He even collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, together they designed and produced accessories in pink cherry blossom bags and floral painted items which became immensely popular.
- In his 7-year tenure as the men’s artistic director, Kim Jones collaborated with massive sports brands like Nike and Supreme, inculcating sports brands into high-end fashion. The curious spectator witnessed the unconventional integration of a sports brand with a highly coveted luxury brand. Collaborating with sports brands is not a surprise, as the brand aesthetic matches his relaxed street style.
- In 2018, Virgil Abloh stepped into Louis Vuitton as the new Men’s creative director succeeding Kim Jones bringing design hues—the first black ever to lead a high-end luxury fashion brand. The engineer and the architect in him stirred the brand giving it a fresh outlook on the diverse society we are living in.
His first Louis Vuitton collection consisted of his model walking through a rainbow inspired by the Wizard of Oz. His outfits were dyed in rainbow hues and shades, models walked through rainbows with yellow lines like in Illinois.
Using leather straps and a street-style look Louis Vuitton came to its pinnacle with Virgil Abloh aboard giving a sporty aesthetic to all the Louis Vuitton styles. Abloh awed the world with his unique approach to a luxury brand.
Louis Vuitton is worth 363 Billion Dollars today, owned by LMVH CEO Bernard Arnault, which impacted many lives and influenced many to dream. Even though it has expanded worldwide, Louis Vuitton primarily focuses on exclusivity and produces high-end products. It has brought different cultures onto the arena and opened doors for new designers like Pharrell Williams, who was appointed to design the Fall 2023 menswear collection.
People have contrary stances on the brand principle, whether it has upheld the social values or consciously sidelined the actual effect. For example- they make their limited edition handbags from some rare exotic leather made from the skin of alligators, lizards, pythons, crocodiles and ostrich. They claim that the animals are “humanely farmed”.
The French luxury house has often been called out for animal abuse, human rights violations and environmental hazards by the PETA, human rights organizations and environmental advocates.
Despite all that, Louis Vuitton is known to use coated canvas for some of their iconic bags, made of Linen and cotton for durability and water resistance. Like many other luxury brands Louis Vuitton also destroys the leftover products by burning them to reduce copies.
Louis Vuitton has achieved great success, profiting in billions every season. Now, it’s time to pause and look at where things can improve. It would be great if their workers were provided with a healthy and safe work environment. Monthly fun activities to boost their spirits, proper salaries with incentives and festive bonuses can show that they care. This shouldn’t be hard for anyone. They can reduce animal exploitation by making more natural materials.
On a positive note, Louis Vuitton inspired the world to be visionaries. People are fascinated by the whole aesthetic of the brand, mesmerized by the collection coming through one season after another. For some, it is the ‘status symbol’ or a ‘state of mind’ that makes people feel dignified. Marc Jacobs once said- “The Louis Vuitton woman is more about a quality – a quality within some women that needs to come forward to be noticed and recognised”. So,
What do you think? Is Louis Vuitton still Relevant today? Does it still impact people? Or is it just an illusion? Would you ever like to own a Louis Vuitton? Please, share your thoughts in the comments section and stay tuned for more content!