Louis Vuitton
(1821 - 1892)
Louis Vuitton was born in Anchay, France, in 1821. Early in his career he worked as an apprentice for the packing-case maker M. Marechal, creating personal luggage for Empress Eugenie.
In 1854, he left Marechal to open his own business. Vuitton's first innovation was the “Trianon,” which was a gray, waterproof canvas which was stretched across the poplar wood structure of the trunk, eliminating the need for a dome-shaped lid, which made them lightweight and air tight. Vuitton's success in the luxury luggage market was due to his willingness to modify and custom-build luggage that was adaptable to new forms of transportation. The use of his LV marque along with the Trianon and Monogram canvases became synonymous with status, and also the traveling luggage of choice for the wealthy.
International stature was assured for the company by the opening of a London store in 1885; a French store opposite the Grand Hotel in 1871, and distribution in America through Wanamaker's department store in 1898. Design awards at the Exposition International d'Industrie et des Arts Decoratives of 1925 secured the company's reputation for luxury products.
In 1892, Louis Vuitton died, and the company's management passed to his son.
Louis Vuitton has been creating special made-to-order hard-sided luggage since 1854. Later in the twentieth century, handbags, wallets, and other small leather goods became increasingly important parts of the company's product line. In 1997, the company hired the American fashion designer Marc Jacobs to design accessories and clothing. The monogram canvas was reinterpreted in 2003 by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, a highly successful move by Marc Jacobs. Other fashion designers such as Stephen Sprouse (2001), and British fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven (2002), have created some of Louis Vuitton's most popular designs.
