Louis Vuitton's Legacy - The History of the Iconic Brand

By Peyton Nebens

Louis Vuitton. A household name that is known by millions around the world. Louis Vuitton was born in 1821 and made his journey to Paris at 16. He met a master trunk maker and trained with him for 17 years in the making of trunks and luggage. 

He created trunks and traveling boxes for the French. He was committed to creating durable, waterproof luggage that still exuded elegance and class. These pieces of luggage were very sturdy, keeping people’s belongings safe and secure. 

The real dream began for Louis in 1854. Louis opened his first shop in Paris. He introduced the famous trunk four years later. He presented his trunk as stackable and easy to store. It was the first flat top trunk of its kind. 

Louis started to become a household name. Even designing a trunk for Napoleon III’s wife. His trunks made practical look stylish and chic. The luggage was made from a Trianon canvas that lasted. The material resisted wear and tear and was much lighter than the competitors'. 

In 1890, George, Louis’s only son, invented the spring buckle that locked the luggage so no one could steal one’s belongings when traveling. Fun fact, they even challenged the great Harry Houdini to try and pick their impressive lock. But it was no match for the magician. 

Six years later, George introduced the famous LV logo on the trunks, which is still similar to the design nearly 200 years later. Then, in 1914, they opened a massive location in Paris, the largest travel goods store in the world at the time. That next year, Coco Chanel requested a Louis Vuitton handbag, the first of its kind. They accepted. In the 1930’s, Chanel allowed Louis to reproduce the bag so others could enjoy the same luxury. The bag was called the Alma. 

Then, as the years went on, they began introducing more and more handbags. Then, in 1965, Audrey Hepburn requested a smaller Speedy Handbag, and the Speedy 25 was born. Seems a few glamorous women also shaped the brand by contributing their own fashion sense to the designs. 

Around 1987, they purchased multiple other luxury brands. Some include Tiffany and Co, Givenchy, Celine, and many others. Pushing forward, in 1997, Marc Jacobs became the creative director. He introduced their first ready-to-wear collection and also a jewelry line. 

Throughout the 2000’s, many new collections were introduced, becoming iconic pieces in the brand. High jewelry, iconic purses, and more luggage. And finally, in 2013, Nicolas Ghesquiére took the reins as creative director. Throughout their history, they have remained committed to maintaining Louis and George’s style, reliability, durability, and elegance. These words are the heart of the company that has kept it adored by millions worldwide for nearly 170 years. 

I have no doubt Louis Vuitton will continue to grow with fashion, not against it, and still sustain the same vision Louis had as that young 16-year-old, walking to Paris on foot with a dream.