Beginner's Guide to Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton Beginnings

French entrepreneur, craftsman and fashion designer Louis Vuitton was born in Jura, France on August 4, 1821. Vuitton pursued a career in Paris in 1835, working a series of odd jobs en route, most notably as an apprentice layetier (i.e. a person who makes chests and wooden boxes, usually used as packaging) at the Parisian atelier of respected technician Monsieur Maréchal.

During this vocation, Vuitton established relationships with French royalty, including the wife of Napoleon III, Empress Eugénie de Montijo. So close did the pair become, she eventually appointed him as her official packer and box-maker. Vuitton honed his skills as a master artisan, learning the esoteric knowledge that would eventually inform his eponymous house.

History of Louis Vuitton 

Louis Vuitton in the 1800s

In 1854, Louis Vuitton’s first luggage store was established in Paris at 4 Rue Neuve des Capucines. Louis Vuitton the brand was born. The goods were immediately revered, both as status symbols and because their practical virtues (airtight and waterproof with luggage locks) were well-suited for travel.

Louis Vuitton’s business reached new heights following the introduction of a flat-bottom, grey canvas luggage trunk known as “Trianon” in 1958. The Trianon could be stacked on top of one another, which proved handy for clientele embarking on long voyages (before, rounded edges were more popular so water could run off the top). Moving into custom works, Vuitton’s technical expertise was most evident on a custom bed trunk he designed for Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in 1874, with the French explorer remaining a regular patron of the brand until his death in 1905.

In 1876, Vuitton changed the Trianon design from grey to beige-and-brown stripes. This would endure until 1888 when, in a bid to combat plagiarists, Vuitton worked with his son, Georges, to create the Damier Print. The oldest pattern within the Louis Vuitton repertoire, the Damier came bearing a logo that read “marque L. Vuitton déposée,” serving as a proto trademark.  

When Louis Vuitton died in 1892, Georges took over as head of the house. With ambitions of growing the company into a major global player, the scion made his mark by creating the legendary Monogram Canvas in 1896. Inspired by Japanese and oriental designs from the Victorian Era, Georges came up with the interlocking L and V with quatrefoils motif as a covering for his trunks; the detail also serving the practical purpose of warding off counterfeits.

Louis Vuitton in the early 1900s

At the dawn of the 20th century, Louis Vuitton introduced the historic Steamer bag. This diminutive case was designed for the boater and could be kept inside larger trunks or hung on a handle to store away worn clothes. 

Louis Vuitton continued to grow exponentially and, in 1914, opened the largest travel-goods store in the world at the time on the Champs-Élysées. Some of the most pivotal bags in the Louis Vuitton arsenal were crafted shortly after. They were:

The Keepall

An icon that has endured until the current day, the Keepall is a moderately sized bag crafted with city escapes in mind.

Released: 1924

Speedy

A compact rework of the Keepall initially known as the Express, the Speedy’s rounded, versatile shape has remained unchanged to this day.

Released: 1930

Noé

In 1932, Gaston Louis Vuitton, son of Georges and grandson of the house founder, came up with the Noé after a champagne producer asked him to produce a malleable bag that could hold five bottles of champagne.

Released: 1932

Alma

The Alma bag was initially designed for Coco Chanel as a 1-of-1 piece. 

In 1934, she allowed Louis Vuitton to put the bag into general production. It was launched under the name “Squire,” before being retitled as the “Champs-Élysées.” In 1992, it was named the “Alma.”

Released: 1934

After Georges passed in 1936, Gaston assumed full control of the house. At this juncture, the line was scaled to include additional leather accouterments such as wallets and small purses. To achieve this, a new Monogram canvas was introduced that was more malleable and readily adaptable to smaller items.

Louis Vuitton in the late 1900s

By the 1960s, a new Louis Vuitton hero item was born in the form of the Papillon. Designed by Henry Racamier, husband of Odile Vuitton, a great-granddaughter of the founder, the design was inspired by the butterfly (“Papillon” means “butterfly” in French). The handles were said to resemble the insect’s wings, while the tube-like shape represented the body. It would become an icon of the house before being discontinued in 2009.

1983 saw the house enter the yachting world by partnering with the America’s Cup to form the Louis Vuitton Cup, becoming the first-ever sponsor of the prestigious tournament. Additional brick-and-mortar locations were opened in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

In 1985, Louis Vuitton’s water and scratch-resistant Epi leather was invented. This durable material was made available in six colors named after locations: Kouril Black, Kenyan Fawn, Borneo Green, Toledo Blue, Winnipeg Sable and Castilian Red.  

Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, more familiarly known as LVMH, was founded in 1987. French investor Bernard Arnault had a dream of bringing his country’s most aspirational brands under one roof, creating a new paradigm for luxury. Working with Alain Chevalier, CEO of Moët Hennessy, and Henry Racamier, president of Louis Vuitton, the merger saw the creation of the world’s leading prestigious products group, with Arnault assuming the role of chairman and CEO in 1989.

Propelled by LVMH, the house continued to expand throughout the 1990s, including its first China location in Beijing. In 1996, Louis Vuitton celebrated 100 years of the Monogram by enlisting six designers—Helmut Lang, Isaac Mizrahi, Romeo Gigli, Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Sybilla and Manolo Blahnik—to reinterpret the famous design how they see fit. Their creations included a vinyl box (Helmut Lang), a weekend bag (Isaac Mizrahi), a hiking bag (Romeo Gigli), a bustle-shaped bag (Vivienne Westwood), a leopard print handbag (Azzedine Alaia), a backpack with a built-in umbrella (Sybilla) and a shoe trunk (Manolo Blahnik).

American fashion designer Marc Jacobs joined Louis Vuitton in 1997 and immediately began transforming the brand into a prototypical modern-day fashion house. Responsible for the first-ever ready-to-wear line, Jacobs, often referred to as a textbook fashion enfant terrible, also brought a sense of grandeur to the house, particularly with his runway productions. Along with Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, John Galliano at Dior and the late Alexander McQueen, his shows transformed the image of European fashion.

Jacobs was not only a showman but a pioneer behind art/fashion crossovers. Filtering his own obsessions into the brand, the likes of Stephen Sprouse, Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusuma were just some of the art-world heavyweights enlisted to collaborate on luxury goods. The designer also oversaw LV’s first jewelry collection in 2001, centered upon a bijou bracelet that would become one of the house’s most iconic pieces. In 2009, Kanye West and Jacobs brokered a footwear collaboration on three silhouettes: the Jaspers, Dons and Mr. Hudsons.

Louis Vuitton in the 2010s

In 2014, Jacobs stepped down from his role at Vuitton to focus on his eponymous LVMH-backed line. Former Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière was named as his successor for women’s, while Kim Jones continued to lead the men's ready-to-wear division as style director. 

In 2017, Jones and Vuitton announced a landmark collaboration with Supreme, erasing the line between streetwear and luxury. Debuted at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2017, the collection spanned apparel, footwear, jewelry and accessories. The most notable item was a bespoke, made-to-order red leather trunk that combined the signature codes of both brands, incorporating the Supreme box logo as its centerpiece. “I’m not afraid to be a commercial artist,” Jones told WWD in 2019. “I’d worn Supreme since I was a teenager and thought it would be fun to mix that up.”

After Jones moved to Dior in 2018, American designer and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh was announced as his replacement. Abloh became the first Black designer to lead the house, and one of the few to hold such a position at a major luxury brand. Abloh was joined by notable creative cohorts such as DJ Benji B and stylist Ib Kamara.

Abloh’s first Spring/Summer 2019 menswear show took place in front of a star-studded audience at Paris' Jardin du Palais Royal on June 21, 2018, laying the blueprint for a new design vocabulary that placed diversity and inclusivity at the forefront.

On November 28, 2021, Abloh passed away following a private battle with cancer. His final show was held during Paris Fashion Week on January 20, 2022, followed by a tribute show designed by the Louis Vuitton studio team on June 23, 2022. 

During his time at the house, Abloh blended traditional Vuitton codes with a streetwear sensibility, pulling from subcultures such as skateboarding and hip-hop. He brought novel concepts to the house such as “Accessomorphosis,” a portmanteau describing how an accessory can be worn as a garment, and “Margielaism,” a term used to describe the fashion “religion” of young designers like himself.

Louis Vuitton Today

Outside of fashion, Louis Vuitton has branched into homeware. Objets Nomades is the house’s travel-inspired furniture arm, made in tandem with a rotating cast of internationally renowned designers.

In January 2023, Michael Burke was succeeded by Pietro Beccari as Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO after 10 years in the role. Moving into another position at LVMH, Burke played a notable role during the Abloh era and is credited as an influential figure in modernizing the house. That same month, LV revealed its FW23 collection in collaboration with Colm Dillane, more commonly known as KidSuper, in Paris. In doing so, Dillane, winner of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld prize in 2021, became the first-ever guest designer to work with the house. 

In February 2023, Pharrell Williams was revealed as Abloh’s successor. The multi-hyphenate—who honed his design craft operating labels Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, as well as collaborations with adidas, Chanel and Moncler—reportedly beat out competition from names such as Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose, becoming the first major appointment of the Beccari era. Said to align with Louis Vuitton’s status as a “Cultural Maison,” Williams’ first collection is set to debut June 2023 at Men's Fashion Week in Paris.

Louis Vuitton Collabs

Since the early 21st century, Louis Vuitton has established a reputation for its forays into the worlds of art and streetwear.

Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami (2003 – 2015)

In 2003, creative director Marc Jacobs orchestrated a long-term collaboration with Takashi Murakami, adapting the contemporary Japanese artist’s polychromatic aesthetic to various iconic items. Highlights include the army-inspired Keepall Bandouliere 55 'Monogramouflage.’

Louis Vuitton x Supreme (2017)

Engrossed in streetwear while working at Michael Kopelman’s London boutique Gimme Five, Kim Jones masterminded a collaboration with NYC skate brand Supreme in 2017, exchanging creative references across an expansive collection of luxury wares and accessories.

Louis Vuitton x Grace Coddington (2018)

For the house’s Cruise 2019 collection, Vogue fashion editor Grace Coddington brought her love of felines to a selection of leather goods, accessories, shoes and ready-to-wear. The playful capsule also included a nod to Ghesquière’s dog, Léon.

Louis Vuitton x Jeff Koons (2017)

Jeff Koons united with Louis Vuitton in 2017. The American artist introduced a provocative sensibility to handbags and accessories, debuting a controversial collaboration that transposed artworks by Old Masters including da Vinci, Van Gogh and Monet.

Louis Vuitton x Iconoclasts Collection (2014)

Louis Vuitton invited six incendiary artists to rework the iconic Monogram in 2014. Christian Louboutin, Cindy Sherman, Frank Gehry, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Newson and Rei Kawakubo were invited to remix the design as they saw fit.

Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama (2012)

Yayoi Kusama teamed up with Louis Vuitton in 2012 for a collection that saw the Japanese artist’s kaleidoscopic polka-dot motif plastered across trunks, shoes and ready-to-wear. The pair resumed their creative partnership in 2022, once again highlighted by the signature polka-dot.

Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince (2008)

Painter and photographer Richard Prince brought an irreverent and surreal design language to Louis Vuitton in 2008. Blanching the Monogram with acid colors, Prince printed his favorite jokes on each bag.

Louis Vuitton x fragment design (2017)

Prolific collaborator Hiroshi Fujiwara teamed up with Louis Vuitton in 2017. Working closely with close friend Kim Jones, the pair dreamed up a collection for an imaginary band named Louis V and the Fragments.

Louis Vuitton x Nigo

Virgil Abloh invited Nigo into the Louis Vuitton universe in 2020 for LV²: a tailoring-centric line that brought together Japanese and British subculture influences. A followup collaboration building upon the same codes arrived the following year.

Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse (2001, 2009)

Renowned for his pioneering work in punk rock, Stephen Sprouse brought his indelible graffiti-like scrawl to a lineup of Louis Vuitton icons in 2001. Marc Jacobs revisited the collection in 2009 as an homage to his idol, who passed away in 2004.

Louis Vuitton x Fornasetti

Bridging experimentation and tradition, Italian decorative arts company Fornasetti’s Louis Vuitton collection was highlighted by a broad bag range featuring eye-catching trompe l’oeil decorations.

Louis Vuitton x NBA/FIFA/Roland Garros/America’s Cup

Throughout the years, Louis Vuitton has designed trunks to transport some of sport’s most iconic trophies. These include the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, the FIFA World Cup, the Roland-Garros Suzanne Lenglen Cup and Musketeers’ Cup, and the America’s Cup.

Louis Vuitton x League of Legends

Louis Vuitton entered the world of esports with Riot Games’ League of Legends in 2019. The partnership included a capsule collection and a trophy travel case to hold the Summoner’s Cup, the trophy awarded to the world champions.

Louis Vuitton x Final Fantasy

Fictional Final Fantasy character Lightning served as the unlikely creative inspiration behind Nicolas Ghesquière’s SS16 ‘Series 4’ collection. The pink-haired female protagonist, dreamed up by Square Enix studios, appeared alongside actress Bae Doona and Jaden Smith, who were lensed by Jürgen Teller and Bruce Weber, respectively.

Louis Vuitton Sneakers

Louis Vuitton’s prolific footwear output comprises a range of styles, both casual and formal. These include:

Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 

Virgil Abloh brought his long-running creative partnership with Nike to the house in the form of an Air Force 1 collaboration. Strictly limited in numbers, the project saw Abloh rework a host of AF1 silhouettes with premium details and the LV Monogram. It would prove to be one of the designer’s final projects before his untimely passing, encapsulating his career work of erasing the line between luxury and streetwear.

Louis Vuitton Trainer

The Louis Vuitton Trainer appeared for the first time during Virgil Abloh’s debut SS19 show. Inspired by heritage basketball sneakers, the house claims it takes seven hours to stitch a single pair together.   

Louis Vuitton Run Away

Louis Vuitton introduced the Run Away to its footwear program as a traditional running sneaker aimed at the lifestyle market. The low-profile silhouette is made in Italy and features hand-finished details.   

Louis Vuitton Rivoli

Constructed with luxury materials such as calf-skin leather, the Rivoli trainer is a versatile silhouette that can be paired with casual and formal styles. The upper tends to reflect the house’s seasonal collections; one notable pair arrived dressed in an iridescent Monogram textile featured in Virgil Abloh’s SS19 collection.    

Louis Vuitton Tattoo

The Louis Vuitton Tattoo sneaker is the house’s aspirational take on the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star. Assembled in high and low-top forms, the silhouette serves as a blank canvas for some of LV’s most experimental colorways.   

Louis Vuitton Archlight

The Nicolas Ghesquière-designed Archlight silhouette debuted at the house’s SS18 runway show. Characterized by sweeping linework and a voluminous tongue, the experimental silhouette aimed to capitalize on footwear’s shift to outsized aesthetics. The Archlight became synonymous with LV muse Jaden Smith, who regularly wore it.   

Louis Vuitton A View

Virgil Abloh unveiled Palace skateboarder Lucien Clarke as Louis Vuitton’s first signed professional skateboarder in 2020. The partnership saw the creation of A View, a fully functional skate silhouette described as a bridge between LV and the skateboarding universe. Co-designed by Abloh and Clarke, the adaptable silhouette is constructed with technical textiles and calf leathers.

How to Style Louis Vuitton

Bags, luggage and travel gear remain at the core of Louis Vuitton. The brand continues to refer to the Speedy bag as the “house icon,” while classics such as the Alma, Neverfull, Dauphine and Noé have endured the test of time. Nearly all of the house’s bag silhouettes can be worn with casual or formalwear.

Despite its luxury provenance, Louis Vuitton apparel can be dressed up or down. Creative directors such as Marc Jacobs, Nicolas Ghesquière, Kim Jones and Virgil Abloh have brought a more casual sensibility to certain seasonal ready-to-wear collections, which stands in contrast to other pieces that are situated at the threshold of couture.

Today, sneakers are a cornerstone of the Louis Vuitton product inventory. From luxury, basketball, skateboarding and clogs to collaborations with the likes of Nike, the house oversees a vast array of styles.

Louis Vuitton’s jewelry and accessories catalog is equally broad. New rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets are released at regular intervals since being introduced in 2001. The first Louis Vuitton watch, the Monterey I, was launched in 1988.

Brands Similar to Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton is positioned as an elite luxury atelier along with its LVMH peers including Dior, Givenchy and Fendi. Additionally, it is regularly mentioned alongside other esteemed houses, namely Gucci, Prada and Hermès.

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