Louis Vuitton
Sonia Rykiel
April 25, 2020
Lanvin
April 25, 2020
Louis Vuitton was born in France in 1821 to a working class family. When he was 16, he arrived in Paris and worked as an apprentice in the workshop of a successful box-maker and packer until 1854, when he opened his own box-making and packing workshop, Louis Vuitton Malletier. In 1858, Vuitton introduced his revolutionary stackable and waterproof rectangular shaped trunks to a market that only had rounded tops. Due to the continuing imitation of his look, in 1888, Vuitton created the iconic Damier Canvas pattern, his registered trademark which still exists to this day. In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, and the company's management passed to his son, Georges Vuitton. Georges began a campaign to build the company into a worldwide corporation, and under his tenure Louis Vuitton stores were opened in New York, Bombay, Washington, London, Alexandria, and Buenos Aires.
It was also during this time that the signature Monogram Canvas and the famous Noé and Speedy bags were introduced.
The brand continued to be run as a family business, until Moët et Chandon and Hennessy, leading manufacturers of champagne and cognac, merged respectively with Louis Vuitton to form the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH in 1987. In 1997, Louis Vuitton made American designer Marc Jacobs its Artistic Director, and he designed and introduced the company's first "prêt-à-porter" line of clothing for men and women.
Today, the Louis Vuitton brand is one of the world's most valuable brands, estimated to be worth over US$24 billion. The LV Monogram and Damier Canvas pattern are some of the most universal status symbols, synonymous with luxury and class.
Current Creative Director: Nicholas Ghesquiere
