Story | Connie Li Photography | Louis Vuitton
Strolling along the Champs-Élysées, one inevitably comes across LV, two simple letters that have made an indelible mark in the world of luxury lifestyle. But the success of this brand has been two centuries in the making.
The story begins with the determination of a young lad named Louis Vuitton, born Aug. 14, 200 years ago, in a small town in eastern France. At 14, he walked a long way everyday to Paris for two years to apprentice with luggage artisan Romain Maréchal. And the luxury legend was born.
Louis Vuitton’s store on 1 rue Scribe in Paris in 1872.
The artisans crafted the trunks on the site of Louis Vuitton’s production workshops around 1888.
He founded his own maison at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near Place Vendome in Paris, and launched the brand
bearing his name. Generation after generation, the family went way beyond just making steamer trunks to include luggage, handbags, shoes, clothing and everything else that has captured the imagination of luxury lovers.
Autoski car trunk in Vuittonite canvas
Trunk bed in Damier canvas
Vuitton pioneered flat-topped rectangular trunks that could easily be stacked, replacing the then-trendy, round-topped trunks. Then he covered the trunks with a light and water-resistant canvas known as Gris Trianon. Having made the trunks lighter and more practical, Vuitton proceeded to set his design apart, replacing the red-striped canvas of the 1870s with the Damier check pattern in 1888. In 1896, his son created the brand’s signature Monogram, the founder’s initials with abstract floral shapes. The design was patented and the rest is history.
A trunk vanity case fitted with luxurious beauty essentials
A High Trunk for Women in woven Damier Canvas from 1889
Marking the 200th anniversary of Louis Vuitton, the brand is paying special tribute. And not by a retrospective exhibition as is most common. Instead, the fashion house invited 200 contributors to reimagine the iconic 50x50x100-
centimetre trunk, almost the same dimensions as the original one from 1850. Contributors were given carte blanche to deconstruct, repurpose, interact with, project onto and refashion in any way they wished. Among the 200 co-creators are painters, architects, botanists, curators, writers, dancers, filmmakers, astronauts, athletes, skateboarders, astrologers and drag queens; 10 artists are from China: Cao Fei, Cao Yuxi, Cheng Ran, Chen Tianzhuo, Feng Li, Liu Wei, Qiu Zhijie, Song Dong, Zhang Ding and Zhao Zhao.
200 contributors were invited to reimagine the iconic 50x50x100-centimetre trunk
In the windows of Louis Vuitton stores is a dramatic video loop of the 200 creations. Breathtakingly beautiful.
