Louis Vuitton He was born in 1821 in Anchay, a region near the Jura Mountains, in France.
At 14 years, Louis Vuitton He walked to Paris, and in 1837, two years later, he arrived in the City of Light, where he got a job as an apprentice to a box maker.
From then on, the history of travel would always be linked to this legendary Frenchman. Feeling the place that travel would occupy in our society, Louis Vuitton founded in Paris this company, which bears his name, exclusively dedicated to the manufacture of luggage and accessories linked to this new way of life.
His visionary approach to the design of luggage parts and components was unrivaled during his days.
The company of Louis Vuitton, made its debut with a prestigious order list.
The great work skill of its creator earned him a contract with the wife of Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenia.
With his great inventiveness, he knew how to anticipate the needs of a clientele up to date with the progress of his time, which takes advantage of new means of transport (the car, the boat and the plane).
His first suitcase was flat (a shape that allowed it to be stackable) and reinforced by wooden slats and brass trim, perfectly adaptable to travel by train and steamboat.
In addition, its waterproof fabric was really useful for customers who made boat trips.
During the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869, thanks to the Empress Eugenia, who carried his luggage in suitcases ¨Luis Vuitton¨, the brand began to gain international fame.
His story would then be built around high society personalities such as the King of Spain, the great Duke Nicolas, the mayor of Tokyo, Goto shojiro, the Ottoman sultan Abdülhamid, and all of Hollywood, starting with the American actor Douglas fairbanks.
In 1875, the French couturier Charles Frédéric Worth he told Louis Vuitton An important business secret: Crinoline and lamb meat covers would soon give rise to softer materials that would revolutionize the use of your suitcases.
Louis Vuitton responded to this information by adding to his collection of trunks one with hanging space and several drawers, which became the famous Wardrobe, the first piece of furniture used for travel.
The competition tried to take advantage of this enthusiasm for the art of luggage, bringing to the market lines of luggage carriers similar to those of Louis vuitton, a fact that gave rise to the famous monogram: the stylized Japanese-inspired flower motif that surrounds the brand’s initials, invented by Georges vuitton, son of the founder, to distinguish his models from the imitations that were beginning to multiply.
The creator of the company, Louis Vuitton, finally died in the year 1892.
In 1978, the firm Louis Vuitton enters Japan and, less than thirty years later, this key luxury market, which acquires 70% of world sales, represents more than 1,000 million euros of turnover.
The archipelago is its first market and the passion for its products is such that it is considered a true “cult brand”.
In the United States, its second market, the brand has 85 stores and its local sales have grown so much that the Americans could be its first customers in five years.
Present in 52 countries with 322 stores, Louis Vuitton it also progresses in its development.
More than a century after the death of its creator, this firm remains as valid as before, it has acquired great worldwide prestige, as well as a large number of imitations and forgeries that travel throughout the world, but that can never replace its style and above all: its quality of manufacture, which will always distinguish it from any attempt at copying.
Today, the firm is owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) and its Executive President, Bernard arnault, is recognized worldwide as the ¨Father of Fashion¨.
Technical innovation and the search for new forms continue to motivate its creation. When Louis Vuitton It presented its products in the United States in 1898, the firm already had the image of an “inventor” and an attractive brand that knows how to respond to the wishes of elegant customers.
In 1879 he had created a suitcase-bed for an exploration in the Congo.
“The embodiment of the soul of the trip continues to be one of the axes of the brand’s development, one of the keys to its success is having always controlled its production and distribution”, Explain Serge Brunschvig, CEO of Louis Vuitton.
Thanks to its network of its own stores, for which it has had world-famous architects, the brand has continued to increase its success over time.