Louis Vuitton

For more than 150 years, Louis Vuitton has been a growing empire based on innovation and top quality, with its universally recognized monogram, its first class travel image à la française, and its mythic status in Japan...

A Family Saga

The name "Louis Vuitton" today may conjure up images of fashion shows, and the face of Bernard Arnault (LVMH Group) superimposed on that of Marc Jacobs, but this was not always the case. Before taking on the world of prêt-a-porter and becoming a luxury multinational brand, Louis Vuitton was for many years a luxury leather goods manufacturer that had revolutionized traveling for an entire generation.

It all began in 1821 with the birth of Louis Vuitton in the Jura region of France. As a boy, Vuitton learned from his carpenter father how to use tools, but the quiet country life was not enough for him. He decided to take his chances in Paris, and at the age of 14, after having walked 400 km (250 miles), he reached the capital. There he became an apprentice with a packing company, and his work consisted of packing for the wealthy in preparation for their travels.

Everything was packed into trunks and remained relatively inaccessible during the voyage. Vuitton also learned how to build traveling trunks, and his know-how coupled with his dexterity soon made him a valuable asset to his employer. Prestigious clients, such as the Empress Eugenia for whom he created a complete travel set, were entrusted to him.

By 1854, Vuitton was aware of the changes that were taking place in travel: he witnessed the birth of modern transportation, such as the locomotive, the steamboat, airplane and automobile; he observed that the wealthier classes began to travel more and more frequently and that their bags were far from well adapted to their new insatiable desire for discovery. Vuitton had a vision and started a business to create functional, luxurious, and innovative luggage. He aligned himself with the transportation revolution and made travel his theme.

Vuitton wanted to create bags that followed the traveler without weighing him down, and accessories adapted to this new lifestyle. He came up with the idea to transform bulky cases and dome-topped trunks into flat suitcases that could be easily arranged and stacked. His products were perfectly matched with the desire of the moment and his success was immense.

The orders started rushing in, the business outgrew its Parisian suburban workshops, and Vuitton moved his studio near the Seine. Ten years later the Suez Canal opened, which was for him the chance to conquer a world hungry for luxury, that until then had been difficult to access. The maharajahs, the sultans and the kings of the Middle East were infatuated with his high-quality bags with their aristocratic luxury and well-known practicality. Everyone in the world of royalty and the heart of Hollywood became prestigious display windows for the house of Louis Vuitton.

In 1870, Louis Vuitton's son, George, sharing the same passion as his father to bring together travel and excellence, joined the family business. He was the one to push his father to develop internationally and Louis Vuitton opened boutiques in first London, then New York. However, this international expansion forced Vuittons to confront a major problem: counterfeiting. Louis took the first initiative against this plague: he registered a print exclusively for the house, a beige and brown check on which was inscribed "Marque Louis Vuitton déposée" (copyright Louis Vuitton) -- but that would not be enough.

Louis Vuitton died in 1892. His son, surrounded by the family, rose to the challenge and decided to continue the adventure his father started. George Vuitton made it a priority to always be avant-garde while keeping the traditional know-how that had made them so successful. In 1896, he proved he was worthy of his family's name by designing the famous LV monogram, which in addition to discouraging counterfeiters became the distinctive logo of the brand.

In addition to the logo, he developed a new material, a resistant, waterproof, and lightweight gray canvas (gris Trianon) that perfectly replaced leather. This canvas gave birth later to a whole line of soft luggage, easily transportable and in various sizes, adapted to all kinds of travel. This collection was unveiled in conjunction with the 100 birthday of the brand and the opening of the avenue Marceau boutique in Paris (their Champs-Elysées boutique opened in 1914).

In 1932, the Noé bag, inspired by ship travel luggage, became an "it" bag and has been a house classic ever since. In 1936, Gaston-Louis, George Vuitton's son, took over the business and, as the future of luggage seemed to be in soft canvas, pushed their research in this direction.

In 1959, they innovated and patented a new kind of canvas, a mix of linen, PVC (plastic) and cotton, as well as a new type of coating. It was a resounding success. In 1977, Odile Vuitton (Louis Vuitton's granddaughter) and her husband gave a new dimension to the house of Louis Vuitton, by transforming it into a multinational.

Inventions and Esthetics for Travel

Always on the forefront of innovation, the house of Louis Vuitton never sacrificed quality nor their traditional techniques, which made it possible for them to quickly become and remain the market leader for over 150 years. From the all-in-one trunk to the travel-bed and travel closets, all conceived by Louis Vuitton, to the ultra-resistant waterproof and scratch-resistant canvas (conceived in 1959), and the monogram (redone in 2000 by Takashi Murakami in kawaï style acid colors), Louis Vuitton was present on every front, from innovation to style to art.

In addition to a perfectly mastered production based on excellence, the brand has become associated with events that wonderfully illustrate its taste for tradition and performance. The Louis Vuitton Classics is the highest-regarded car collector's competition, and the Louis Vuitton Cup is one of the most prestigious yacht competitions.

LVMH

It was in 1987, 10 years after Louis Vuitton became a multinational, that the house fused with Moët Hennessy to form LVMH: Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. LVMH became the world leader in luxury.

In 1989, Bernard Arnault became the majority shareholder of the group and undertook transforming Louis Vuitton into a veritable empire by diversifying its products. Leather goods would no longer be the only market sector to benefit from the brand's extraordinary aura; also included would be watches, shoes, cosmetics, perfumes, and prêt-a-porter.

The Marc Jacobs Adventure

In 1989, Louis Vuitton was well-known, but it still did not have that fashionable feel needed to inspire buying frenzies. This is why the visionary Arnault (in this instance, perfectly matched to the spirit of the house) decided, despite the shareholders' hesitation, to entrust the reins of the prêt-a-porter to a New York designer who was more famous for his nightly escapades and drug addictions: Marc Jacobs.

Despite his penchant for irreverence, Jacobs seized the opportunity and in 1997 was integrated into a house known for its prestigious past, yet still innocent to the world of prêt-a-porter. It was up to him to define the fashion image for the house, and for this he was given carte blanche. Jacobs' special kind of madness, mixing luxury and grunge, was exactly what the inventive, yet too-conventional house needed.

Jacobs succeeded and rendered Louis Vuitton impossible to ignore, conferring to it a liberal modernity, between classic and psychedelic, that turned fashionistas the world over into LV addicts. Jacobs became a veritable hype icon and his aura shone on Louis Vuitton. His secret: treat the world of luxury with derision, put a big mirror up to it, all the while being an intimate participant.

In 2006, he mixed together the image of the good girl from a good family with her New York inner-city equivalent, creating the oversized-mink-coat-and-XXL-fur-mittens look. The Marc Jacobs oxymoron made him the darling of the fashion world. Sometimes he provoked too much and was burned for it, but he always finished by silencing his critics. In the end, he played the Louis Vuitton marketing game very well, giving the house a touch of demonic hype and gaining the respect of his peers.

International Expansion

Although Louis Vuitton is French, its travel image made it quickly known worldwide. Louis Vuitton began exporting in 1885, first to London, and then the U.S., the latter representing the brand's secondary market after Japan. The Japanese infatuation for this French luxury brand is unquestionably exceptional: they alone generate 70% of the brand's gross sales.

The luxury luggage maker moved into Japan in 1978 and more than 30 years later, has become the ultimate cult brand. It seems almost every Japanese owns a Vuitton (men and women combined), whether it be a bag, a briefcase, or suitcases; they are LV's #1 fans. They do have one demand, however: the LV monogram must be as ostentatious as possible (the more subtle models are left in the stores) - what is important to them is that it be very clear that what they are holding is a real Vuitton.

LVMH built its largest Louis Vuitton boutique in the heart of Tokyo (instead of in Paris or New York) for a reason. The Japanese market is precious to the group, as they constitute a veritable cult following for the brand. For the 2002 opening of the gigantic boutique on Omotesando (their Champs-Elysées), 1000 people camped on the sidewalk for two days hoping to be among the very first to penetrate this holiest of holies.

In addition to their fanaticism for the brand, the Japanese must buy their Louis Vuitton in a Louis Vuitton boutique, and not in some banal leather goods store; counterfeits, of course, are considered despicable. They represent a fertile terrain for the house and the house knows it.

Outside of Japan, Louis Vuitton remained faithful to its reputation as a pioneer and invested in countries where they were the first to dare propose luxury products: e.g. in China, India, Vietnam, and South America. The brand is represented in more than 60 countries and possesses 320 of its own stores, allowing it to control its image.

Despite its worldwide expansion, Louis Vuitton keeps the majority of its ateliers in France (of which there are 10), two in Spain and one in the U.S. Despite all the difficulties that the luxury market poses, such as counterfeiting, economic crises, etc., Louis Vuitton seems to glide straight on through, continuing to conquer new markets, supporting single-handedly the LVMH group and its unabashedly good health.

Advertising Campaigns

After Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton's other stroke of genius was their advertising campaigns. Scarlett Johansson, the voluptuous, sexy American movie star, signed a contact with the brand and became its icon, incarnating the Louis Vuitton woman, a mix of ingénue and Hollywood glamour. Photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, she is always seen with one of the must-have bags of the house on her arm. Thanks to the growing number of "beautiful people" photographed with their Vuittons, the brand has gone from classic luxury to ultra hype classic luxury.

Recently, in homage to traveling, the brand chose the former president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbatchev, as one of the protagonists for its ad campaign. He appeared with a Vuitton sac overflowing with papers at his side in a car driven along the Berlin wall. Other photos of the same campaign showed Catherine Deneuve, Steffi Graf, and André Agassi, elicited an enormous response and allowed Vuitton to realign its image. (However, having Gorbatchev as a model had its price, and Louis Vuitton was obliged to make a nice donation to Green Cross International whose interests he manages.)

Louis Vuitton has a particular image: the fashionistas sometimes hesitate to acquire, even if they have the means, a monogrammed bag out of fear of looking like "a spoiled rich girl." However, Louis Vuitton is above all a house close to the world of art: its magnificent boutiques are conceived by eclectic and talented architects, and it's shop windows are environments where artists, or even students of the famous Saint Martin School for art, design and performance (London), can express themselves.

As for the Louis Vuitton bags, as made over as they have been, remain nevertheless the fruit of an authentic and rare traditional work that makes them stand apart. The luxuriousness of Louis Vuitton is not overrated -- it is the result of the time consecrated and the perfectionist attention given to each piece. An old world luxury bathed in l'air du temps... between tradition and modernism, and innovating in all areas, it is not surprising that Louis Vuitton is the number one luxury brand in the world.