When it comes to luxury luggage, Louis Vuitton is arguable the most influential brand in history. But why? What makes Louis Vuitton‘s luggage so classic and iconic? From the brand’s earliest days, the luggage was marked by the highest quality, form, and function.
LOUIS VUITTON HIMSELF
Louis Vuitton’s personal history adds its own romantic character to the Louis Vuitton brand. At age 13, Vuitton set out on foot to complete a 300 mile journey to Paris where he was apprenticed as under a master box-maker and packer. Soon after, he was named the official box-maker and packer of Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Empress Eugenie de Montijo of France. As such, he carefully and beautifully packaging her wardrobe for transportation among the country’s various royal residences. It was here that Vuitton honed his skills and came to truly understand what features luxury luggage required.
TRADEMARK PATTERNS
Today, the Louis Vuitton pattern is unmistakable, and that is by design. Early on, Vuitton’s trunks were striped, but this simple design made it easy for other trunk-makers to counterfeit his luggage. He developed the Damier checkerboard to combat copycats, but it wasn’t enough. In 1896, Vuitton developed the iconic monogram whose detailed design was harder for imitators to copy.
INFLUENCE OF STYLE ICONS
The first fashion icon to influence Louis Vuitton’s bags was Coco Chanel. She ordered a custom day-sized bag of the Alma Voyage in 1925, and the Alma bag went into full time production in the ’30s. In the ’60s, Audrey Hepburn requested a mini version of the Keepall travel bag that she could carry regularly. This bag too became a regular part of Vuitton’s collection, known as the Speedy Bag.
DESIGNED FOR LUXURY
Louis Vuitton’s luggage is designed with a luxury lifestyle in mind. The original Noé designed to carry five bottles of Champagne and the largest Noé today can still carry the same amount of bubbly.
QUALITY AND BRAND IDENTITY
Every LV bag is handmade in France, then undergoes strict quality testing for optimum endurance and durability. Your investment in Louis Vuitton luggage ensures timeless style and lasting dependability. Louis Vuitton is so vigilant of the class of their brand, that you will never find an LV bag on discount. In fact, after every season, if any of LV products are not sold they are sent back to the factory in France and are shredded or burned to maintain the value of existing products.
What is your favorite piece of Louis Vuitton luggage? Let us know in the comment section.
